StarCounter
by Senpai's Boo
Summary: In a world of souls inside the Andromeda tree, seperated from their bodies, Yoshiki meets a girl named Ayumi Shinozaki. The mysterious girl with the shrouded past shows the normal boy a world he never knew existed. As each day pass, they grow closer and Yoshiki starts to understand his emotions, but how can he like a girl who lives in a different world than him? (2 chapters added)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there gorgeus! Here is my new Ayushiki fic! Normally, I update everyday, but I just recently finished the second sequel to my series «A Little Pain», so I want to take a break. But still, I was soooo excited for this fic to get published, so I'm going to publish the first chapter now and then wait about a week or two before I continue it. It depends on if you guys want me to or not. (PRESENT A/N: HEY GUYS! So, I've decided to do some edits to make the story even better, lol. Plus, I'll add a few extra chapters to develop some of the characters even more. So, don't freak out if you see any differences from before, alright? Okay, back to Senpai's Boo from the past!) Then, let's continue! PLZ ENJOY ;3**

 _Hey…_

 _Fate is a mysterious thing, right?_

 _Even though you pray for a good future, it's still no guarantee that you'll get one._

 _Yet, for others fate is kinder than anything else._

 _Fate is mysterious._

 _And unfair._

 _I waited for almost an eternity to meet someone like her._

 _When I did, I didn't realize that she was just the thing I needed to experience true happiness._

 _By that tree, with several names carved on it,_

 _I met her._

 _The girl of my dreams._

 _But fate ruined it._

 _Even though we cried for eachother,_

 _fate didn't help us in any way._

 _Her tears were dry._

 _Mine were wet._

 _But still,_

 _even though we both wished to stay together a bit longer,_

 _I didn't regret meeting her._

…

«I'm home!» I yelled as I opened the door to my house. «Welcome home, Onii-san!» Miki yelled to me from the kitchen. I took off my shoes and went to the kitchen to grab a snack. Miki, my precious little sister, sat on the table and did her homework.

«Where's mom and dad?» I asked her. «Out to watch an opera, or something. I don't know, something like that,» she mumbled, not interested at all. «Um…okay,» I said and grabbed some orange juice from the refridgerator. Miki noticed that and begged me:

«Can't you drink the apple juice instead? I only like the orange one, and there's only a few drops left!» I sighed and put back the orange juice and took out the apple juice instead. «Fine…,» I mumbled. «Thanks!» she said and went back to writing. I poured some apple juice in a glass, grabbed a bag of potato chips and went upstairs to my room to do my own homework.

Ugh, you know what? Fuck homework. I violently threw my bag on by my bed and threw myself on it. Stomach down, I closed my eyes and snuggled my cheek against my pillow. Whenever I grab onto my pillow, I always imagine it being a person. A kind of mother-like figure to embrace whenever I feel too small for the world and insecure in my own skin. Someone that can protect me…and I her.

Sigh…

…

 _At times, I would like to forget the world that's surrounded by reality. If only every single human being on earth could experience their own world that they want to live in. Or rather…I always want to forget. That must be why my heart was so filled with joy when I started walking further down the hill of crystal glass. But, that's just how I imagined it to be. The Seventh Heaven, the world inside The Andromeda tree._

 _The shade of blue that was bursting through the golden clouds in the sky was painted on the entire sky, making me wonder if I was in heaven. Is this what it's like…to truly be swept of your feet? This whole world was like a huge garden. Emerald-colored, big trees all over the place, butterflies flying through the air and the mountains…oh my god, the mountains._

 _The crystal mountains were the same from the legend. Clear as mirrors and beautifully reflected by the river that was right next to it. Yes… I immediately aknowledged this as the Seventh Heaven. Not because of the sky. Not because of the trees. Not because of the mountains._

 _Because of her._

 _I don't know who she was, or why she was in my world. All I knew, was that… she belonged here. She had her back turned to me, so I couldn't see her face. Yet… I felt an attraction. She didn't need a beautiful face to be beautiful. Just being in my precense…Made me feel nervous. I went closer to her and reached out my hand, trying to touch her shoulder._

 _I want to hold her…_

…

«Ah…» I felt as if my heart fell down and landed in the pit of my stomach when I realized that I'd been dreaming the entire time. I wanted it to be true… So badly. Ah, great. Once again I feel the need to go there. Welp, guess I gotta satisfy myself, then! I raised my head up and changed into a way more comfortable pair of pants and a simple, white button-up shirt before going downstairs.

I'm Yoshiki Kishinuma, and I'm 17 years old. I'm a first year at Kisaragi high, and I live with my parents and my younger sister. I guess you could place me as an average high school student. Even my IQ is pretty average. But if I have to name one thing that's unique about me…I have a strange habit that I've had ever since I was 13 years old.

…

«Are you going there again?!» Miki asked me, a bit annoyed. I nodded as I put on my shoes. «What's the deal with you and that place, anyway?» she asked me. «Dunno. I just really love hanging there on sunny days like this one,» I replied. Miki sighed and said: «You know it's just a legend, right?»

I bit my lip, not answering her question. It was quiet for a while until Miki mumbled: «Don't be there for too long, okay?» «It'll be just an hour or so,» I said and ran out of the door and started walking.

The habit I have, is that on sunny summer days, I go to the Andromeda tree and just hang out there alone. The Andromeda tree, is a really big oak tree just out of town. Many say it's been there for over 200 years. On summer nights, the constellation Andromeda, is just above the tree, so that's where the tree got its name from. My parents always used to take me there when I was little. What madet his tree special, was that it has over a hundread names carved in it. That may not sound very special, but that's not it.

The names, are names of dead people.

Of course, the legend was not very similar to the original legend about Andromeda, but it's the legend our city seem to believe in, just because of that tree.

The legend Miki was talking about goes like this: The greek princess Andromeda was a very kind princess who lived in a place where souls of dead humans used to gather. Many of the souls were suffering, due to their cause of death. Andromeda felt really bad for them, so one summer night she looked below her on the earth. She noticed a big tree with a huge hole in it. She meant that it would be a good place with no suffering for the souls to live in. She went down to earth and carved in every single name of the souls, and because of that the souls got captivated in the tree, free from their despair. Andromeda had created a beautiful universe inside it with sparkling fragments and colors that no one even knew existed. It was a place that no one could ever dream of. For the souls, the tree became the Seventh heaven.

There's a rumor saying that if you carve the name of a dead person into the tree, their soul will go to the Seventh heaven.

I didn't really believe in that rumor, but I loved the story as a child. I always dreamt of visiting the Seventh heaven, if only for a few minutes. I wanted to visit the souls and befriend them. Now, I only laugh at those naive ideas I had as a kid. But I still visit the Andromeda tree on days like this one.

…

It's as calming as ever. Even after a stressful day at school, I always find peace here. I laid down on the ground, and let the leaves cast a shadow down on my face as I closed my eyes. The wind was softly blowing, the grass was soft and the sky was as blue as it could be. Everything was so peaceful.

 _Hey…_

What?! Panicked, I opened my eyes and got up from the ground. Was someone…calling me? Sigh, probably just my imagination… I've heard that when you're really at ease, your brain starts creating things in your mind that don't really exist. I laid back down on the grass and closed my eyes.

 _Hey, can you hear me?_

There's no mistaking it. Someone's definitely calling me! I got up again and walked a bit closer to the hole in the tree. «Um…Hello?» I asked nervously. Gosh, what the fuck am I doing?! There's no way someone…

 _So you can? That's good!_

My heart jumped as I heard the voice again. An awkward silence floated around in the air because of me not replying. Eventually, I coughed and mumbled: «A-…are you real?» The same voice giggled. It was…cute. The voice was obviously a girl's voice. So soft and kind…It put me at ease as I heard the same shimmering giggling again.

 _I think so! Are you real?_

I chuckled and said: «Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm real». The voice giggled again, a bit louder this time. «Where are you?» I asked her. For some reason, even though I was supposed to freak out, there was something about her voice that made me feel attracted. I wanted to see her.

 _I'm inside the seventh heaven! Wanna come and see it?_

Gulp. What did she just say?! T-the seventh heaven!? Pfft, there's no way… «Don't lie. You're just inside the hole here, right?» I said teasingly and laughed off my slight fear. I would call myself a believer, yet… I'm scared of supernatural things. Once again, a silence floated through the air. The voice sighed and said:

 _If you only knew all the things I could tell you, we could be dancing with stars in the night._

The next thing I saw, was a pale shimmering hand sticking out of the hole.

«WAH!» I yelled and jumped in surprise. She giggled again. That hand…it wasn't human. It was too pale to be human. It was kinda…glowing.

 _Please…don't be afraid. I want to show you my world._

She sounded honest, yet playful at the same time. I'm curious. What's the worst thing that could happen? Just getting to know the person that beautiful voice belonged to, would be totally fine by me, even if that silly dream that haunted my childhood wasn't inside this tree. «Why? Why do you want me to come?» I asked her.

 _I'm bored. I want to show someone with flesh and blood how my world is. Don't be scared._

The idea was too tempting. I forgot everything that had to do with common sense. I just want to see it. The seventh heaven. Reluctantly, I reached out my hand to touch hers. Is…Is this really okay? Just as my hand touched hers, a really warm feeling filled my heart. Her hand wasn't cold nor warm. It was just…plain.

 _Are you ready?_

«Yes», I said determined.

 _Close your eyes and don't let go of my hand._

I did as she told me and held my breath in excitement. I'm scared. I'm really scared! But I can't back out now! Then, she pulled me into the hole without warning.

At first, I was in pain. But just a second later, the pain turned into a feeling of becoming light-headed. It's almost like the air was filled with helium and flower scents. Did the ground disappear? I moved my legs, and panicked when I couldn't feel anything below me. Just where did she take me?! Am I flying? I still didn't dare to open my eyes. Suddenly, I felt the girl's presence getting closer to me. Soft fingertips were gently stroking my eyelids, making me relax a bit more. «Open your eyes…», the girl whispered. I did as she told me. Painfully slowly.

It was unreal.

This whole thing is so unreal! I was surrounded by a huge barrier of a heavenly shade of sparkling blue. The sparkling fragments were just like stars and they were shining in the most beautiful way possible. My eyes were not used to such beauty. My dreams about seeing this…can never compare. My sight got bleary at the beauty and I had to rub my eyes to believe the . I reached out my free arm, to try to touch the fragments.

«Can you count them?»

Just as she asked me that, I realized that I still was holding the girl's hand. I can see her now…right? I turned to the direction of the voice, only to be met by two big, sparkly eyes in the same shade of blue as the barrier looking at me with a warm expression.

My heart tried to pound itself out of my chest as I laid my eyes on her.

The girl had long, dark-blue hair that reached the middle of her back. Her lips were in a sweet, red color and her skin was pale and shimmering. Her petite body, was covered with a shimmering white dress that reached her knees. Everything about her, made me think of those religious pictures of angels. But the thing that dazzled me the most, was her eyes. They were more sparkly than the barrier and her eyelashes were really thick and long, so it almost looked like she was wearing tons of mascara. Yet she wasn't. I could tell. So beautiful…

She smiled at me and said: «I always try to count them. But I never succeed. I always lose count when I'm halfway through». Her dazzling laughter that followed the end of her sentence, made me think of those small girls at playgrounds that were oozing of childhood innocence. Counting stars? When I think about it clearly, I tried to count stars too, but it's not as easy as it sounds.

«Is this…the seventh heaven?» I asked her. She shaked her head and smiled. «This is just the barrier that appears when we're on our way there. We're there soon, don't worry!» she said. I couldn't help but to smile with her. Just who is this girl?

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you liked it, plz review and tell me what you think! I will continue it, but like I said that will be in a while. I need breaks. Really bad XD UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hai! Chapter 2 is up! I ended up writing this chapter earlier than expected XD Seriously, I was like: Oh, there's nothing to do at home after studying so why not writing the new chapter to StarCounter! But I guess it's better that way. PLZ ENJOY ;3**

«Take my hand!» the girl said after a few minutes and reached out her hand. I gulped and took it and let her gently drag me. She gave me a smile, before she forced herself through the sparkling, blue barrier with me behind her. It was almost like walking through a shaking wall of jelly with pieces of corn flakes in it. It gave me shivers, so I closed my eyes as I followed her. Just as we managed through, my face got hit by a heavenly aroma and atmosphere surrounding every inch of my body.

I could tell that that there were people everywhere. Just the presence of them made me feel a lot calmer. I saw a slight blueish or greenish color through my closed eyelids, floating through the air. Even the sounds I could hear took made my heart and mind relax, thanks to the amazing sound of small rocks carefully smashing against triangles. I deeply inhaled the fresh smelling air and let it all out. «Open your eyes», the girl said and stroked my head. I did as she told me.

The image I saw, took my breath away.

The «sky» above us, was glistening in the most beautiful hues of blue, purple, green and yellow, but mostly blue. They were in different colors floating around in the sky while sparkling and sometimes laying down on the ground like some kind of fog. I tried to touch them, but when I did, they just quickly floated back up again. As I looked underneath me, I noticed some kind of grass, but it didn't look or feel like it. It was in a really light blue color, and it was super soft. As I kept looking at it, I noticed that it released some yellow, glowing fragments floating up from the grass and hitting the colors in the «sky», making it appear golden, glowing ripples all over the sky.

When I looked around, I noticed some other people flying around the atmosphere, as if gravity didn't exist. They were in all ages and in all genders. They were all extremely pale and the females were wearing similar dresses like the girl, while the males were wearing a white long sleeved shirt and white, airy pants. It almost look like they didn't have feet at all, since from the waist and down, their legs were slightly fading. The whole place was so beautiful. The girl giggled and said: «This is the Seventh Heaven. My world».

I wasn't used to any of this yet. The colors, the fragments, the atmosphere, the scents, the auras and the sounds. As I witnessed more, the even more questions I had. I turned to her and asked: «Who are you?»

She covered her mouth with both hands and blurted out: «Oh my, how rude! I haven't introduced myself yet!» I chuckled at her flustered expression. She coughed, straightened up her back and said: «My name is Ayumi Shinozaki! You can call me Ayumi, though. Nice to meet you!» She reached out her hand to me. «Yoshiki Kishinuma. Nice to meet you too», I said and shaked her hand with a smile.

I turned away from her and looked around the seventh heaven one more time. Like I said, I still wasn't used to it. The whole place is so huge. Even if I looked as far as I could, it didn't end. «Just how big is this place?» I asked her. Shinozaki shrugged her shoulders. «I don't know. None of the souls here have even bothered to research the area…Except for one», she answered. My whole body twitched. «S-souls?!» I asked panicked. I know that I maybe should have asked her who that person was, but I was too distracted by what she said instead of «person». Shinozaki sighed and took my hand. «I'll explain. Hold on tight!» she said. Just as I was about to ask her what she meant, we were already about a meter over the ground.

«WAAAAAH!» I yelled out in panic and clutched to her tightly. H-how does she do that!? I closed my eyes and whimpered. I've never stomached heights that well. Noticing my fear, Shinozaki held me tighter. «Don't worry. I won't let you go», she said to comfort me. I was still whimpering, but I managed to keep my eyes open. The way we moved so swiftly in the sky, made me forget my fear of both supernatural stuff and heights. Like she promised me, she didn't let go of me and held me really tightly to protect me. G-Gosh, why am I thinking of it like that?!

She lead me to all of the high points in the sky, allowing me to touch the sparkling colors. After flying away from the crowd of people, she found an empty place only surrounded by the blue grass and softly laid me down and laid herself down next to me. My heart slowed down, thanks to the slight breeze and the feeling of the grass. I eventually managed to breathe in a normal pace as I could touch the grass.

«Um…Shinozaki, was it?» I asked. «Mhm! What is it?» she asked with a smile. I wanted to ask her to not look at me like that if she wanted to keep thinking of me as a thug, but I tried to turn my face from her while asking: «So…This is really the Seventh Heaven?» She nodded, not saying anything. When she says it like that as if it's no big deal, it makes me wanna shake her as hard as I can. So, you're basically telling met hat what people think is only a fantasy, is actually real?! What the fuck!? Sigh, I need to calm down. She said it herself, she doesn't want to hurt me or anything.

«Ask me anything. You must be pretty shocked and confused now», Shinozaki said. I nodded, even though it wasn't the complete truth. I was shocked at first, but it quickly dissapeared by her telling met hat it was nothing to fear. I was confused, but I think «fascinated» is a better way to explain my feelings at that moment.

I turned my face to her and asked: «I thought it was just a legend. How can this be real?» She knitted her eyebrows together and asked: «Why was the earth created?» My eyes widened at her sudden question and it only got worse when I couldn't find words to use as an answer. Shinozaki giggled and said: «Exactly. You can't really answer that. I don't really know why either. It just…exists. It's as simple as that». «Okay…», I mumbled. That seems…reasonable? «Don't you have any other questions? Like for instance, how this world works?» Shinozaki asked me. «I do,» I atmitted and chuckled. «Go ahead,»she said. «You said «souls». Just…what do you mean by that?»I asked her. Shinozaki explained:

«You've heard about the legend, haven't you? If you carve the name of a dead person on the Andromeda tree, their soul will get trapped in the seventh heaven. A lot of people really think that the rumor is true. And believe it or not, it is. Every single person you saw just now, are the souls of the dead people or people who are no longer connected with their bodies who's name's been carved in on the tree. We're trapped in here, and we won't get out as long as the tree lives. We can only move one body part at the time outside of the seventh heaven.»

«What happens then? When the tree dies, I mean…», I asked her. She sighed and said: «I don't know. We'll just dissapear, I guess…». Dissapear…It sounded really sad when she said. Disappear… But, won't they still end up somewhere? «The souls here…are they actual people?» I asked her. «We wouldn't call ourselves «people». We're just souls», she said, a grim look appearing on her face when I asked her that. «But you look human. Except for the skin color and all that, that is…», I muttered. «The way we look, is just an image of what our bodies looked like the second before we got seperated from our bodies. Even though I can interact with people, there's no blood running through my veins. Even though I am a living person, I have no pulse nor a heartbeat. I'm just…an image, in a way,» Shinozaki explained.

«An illusion?» I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and said: «I guess.» «That means…that you're dead, right?» I asked. Just then, I realized that I maybe shouldn't have asked her that. She remained quiet without moving an inch. She is dead then, isn't she…? «I…I'm sorry…», I said. She put on forced a smile and said: «No no, it's not that…I will tell you, but…Now is too early». I mentally hit myself. How could I be so selfish?! I'm pretty sure even souls have their limits! Sometimes, my curiousity gets the better of me. «How long have you been here…if you don't mind me asking», I asked her. «Hmm…A little over a year, I think», she answered.

I guess I don't really have anything else to ask her about when it comes to her world. I pretty much know the basics now, I think. But there's still something I don't understand…

«Shinozaki?» I asked her. «I told you, call me Ayumi. What is it?» she asked me. «Why did you bring me here?» I asked. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. I could see that she smiled a bit and looked bashfully at me. «I…I was bored», she answered. «Huh? Bored?» I asked her. She nodded. «There's not much to do here, except talking with others and fly around. I wanted to…be able to interact with a human again, after that long year», she answered. «Well…why me?» I asked her. She giggled and said:

«Ever since I came here, I've been noticing your precense Kishinuma-kun. I told you that we could only have one body part at the time outside of the tree, right? I would just look at you as you laid down there, talking to yourself, listening to music and just sleep. I wanted to speak to you, but I didn't want you to be involved in this whole seventh heaven thing. But today, I gave up. I really wanted to talk to a human after so long».

Gulp. She saw me when I talked to myself?! That's so embarrasing! I blushed furiously and covered my mouth. «Oh, and you must be having a good time here, right?» I asked. She sighed and crossed her arms, as if frustrated because she couldn't find the right words. Jesus, what is wrong with me… Or rather, why wouldn't she enjoy it here? She coughed and answered: «I suppose this world is what every human could possibly dream of. But for us, who have stayed here for so long… It's like a prison we won't get out of anytime soon.» «I-I see… I wouldn't understand, would I?» I asked sheepishly. She giggled, looked at me and said: «You would. If you wanted to.»

Oh… Hypnothized by her sapphire-blue eyes, I was in the state of being paralyzed by her. The way she spoke, the way she moved and the way she looked… Noticing my composure, she laughed at me and took my hand. «We have plenty of time. Let me show you some more beautiful things!» she said and grabbed me before she flew me to amazing new places.

The whole place had so many amazing things! There were giant golden clouds that you could stand on without falling down. The whole world was filled with glass butterflies. Glass butterflies are butterflies with really shiny and sparkly silver wings, making them seem invisible. They were truly beautiful! Time went by really fast, and before I knew it, it was already 10 PM.

«I have to go now. I had a great time, though!» I told her. She nodded understandingly. «I'll show you the way out», she said and led me back to the barrier. Just as I was about to exit, I considered asking her… Maybe she just thinks of me as a pet or something? No, not possible. She wouldn't bring a pet here. Geez, I'll just ask her!

«Shinozaki…», I asked. «Hm? What is it?» she asked me. «Can…can I see you tomorrow?» I asked her while blushing. She giggled and said: «Of course. I'll always be here. Just call out to me», she said. I nodded and gave her one last smile before I jumped into the barrier. At that moment, I once again felt the sadness of waking up from a dream.

That…there's no way that was a dream. The name Ayumi Shinozaki is even carved in on the tree, right here! I ran my fingers over her name, recalling her voice and face. The image made me feel all fuzzy inside. I really want to see her again. But…why did she look so sad when I asked her about her death?

Just what's with her and her past?

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I'll probably try to update everyday from now on, like I always do. UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yaaaaay, chapter 3 is up! PLZ ENOY ;3**

«Where the hell have you been!?» dad yelled at me as I came in. I got really startled, but I kept my composture and said: «I was at the Andromeda tree again. I guess I enjoyed myself a bit too much so I forgot the time». Pft, enjoying myself too much is like underestimating the experience. Dad sighed and laid down on the couch. «You have no idea how worried we were! You didn't even bring your phone!» mom said in an angry tone. «I'm sorry,»I said and went up to my room. «Wait Yoshiki!» mom said. I stopped turned to her. «What?» I asked her. «Just what were you doing over there?» she asked me and stared me straight into my eyes. I gulped and faced away from her. I can't just tell her about the seventh heaven and Shinozaki. «Nothing,» I said and ran upstairs, avoiding her question.

After brushing my teeth and putting on my pajamas, I crawled into my bed and rested my head on the pillow. I tried to sleep, but when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the sparkling over the Seventh heaven. I want to go there again and meet her. Ayumi Shinozaki. She told me that she would be waiting for me there. I wrapped the covers tightly around me and closed my eyes, thinking of her. I want to know more about her… Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

…

 _If only I could be that close to the angel…that it wouldn't be wrong to embrace someone as unnatural as her. She was different from me, yet the same. In so many ways, she was purer than any other girl. The way her smile lit up the darkest corners in my heart, made me truly appreciate the joy of experiencing this. I was right in front of the crystal mountain, watching over her. As adventurous as she was, she had to explore every side of this world. I told her every single time that she had to be careful. If you explore too much, you might end up getting hurt. Do you think she listened to me? I doubt it. Climbing the mountain with strong, yet shy hands, the angel's long hair was flowing in the wind. I shouted, asking her if she was okay. She stopped climbing and silently stood up on a safe spot, a few meters over the ground and turned around._

 _She was crying._

 _She tries to act tough, yet… She's in pain. She has always been in pain. The angel reached out her hand, in need. She was silent, not saying a word, but her body language spoke so loudly. She needed me. No matter how full of joy she seemed, she was suffering and still healing from those scars. But… where are those scars from…? I reached out my hand, wanting to wipe those tears away from her face._

 _Just smile…_

…

Seeing that girl crying… Made me realize just how easily people can be fooled. It's weird to have such philosophic thoughts while walking to school, but while looking at the clear, blue sky… I started thinking about that girl in my dream. Even when people smile all the time… Everyone have something to heal from.

…

«Heeeeey! Yoshiki!» Satoshi yelled from a distance and waved at me as he noticed me by the school porch. I waved back and ran to him. «What did you do yesterday?» I asked him. «Oh, nothing special. Just hanging out with Naomi again. Think I might ask her out soon. What about you?» he asked me. «Well, I was by the Andromeda tree, again and…». «Idiot,» Satoshi said to interupt me. «What?» I asked him. «You think I didn't know that? You go there almost everyday! What meant, aren't you interested in anyone?» he asked me.I sighed, annoyance. He asked me that everytime we started talking about him and Nakashima. And the answer was always the same.

«Not yet,» I answered. Satoshi sighed and smacked himself on the forhead. «What a surprise. I don't even know why I keep asking you. It's almost like you're incapable of simply having a crush on someone,» he mumbled. I clenched my fists. It may be true that I've never been in love with someone, but I am capable of love! Time to give him some juicy details!

«Satoshi!» I yelled at him. He jumped at my sudden outburst and asked: «W-what is it?» he asked me. «I actually met a girl yesterday! A really pretty one too!» I told him. Geez, why am I even telling him this?! It's not like I'm in love with a girl I met yesterday! And she's not even human on top of that! His eyes widened. «Seriously?!» he asked shocked. «In a way…», I mumbled. «The fuck is that supposed to mean?» he asked me confused. «Nothing…Hey, class is starting! Let's go!» I said and ran ahead of him, only leaving him more puzzled than before.

Just as the school bell rang, I ran the fastest I could home to grab something and then go to the Andromeda tree to meet Shinozaki again. This time, I remembered to bring my phone. And Miki made some cinnamon rolls yesterday, and since it were some leftovers, I decided to bring some. Souls can eat, right? While running, I picked up my phone and texted mom:

 _Hey, mom._

 _Just going there again._

 _I'm not going to be late this time, I promise._

 _-Y_

Right after I pressed send, I looked up and noticed that it would only take me a couple of minutes to get there. I grabbed the basket with the cinnamon rolls in it and ran even faster than before.

It took me maybe 5 minutes before I got my breath back. When I did, I went to the tree and leaned my hand against it. My gaze immediately fell on the name «Ayumi Shinozaki». Just like yesterday, I ran my hand over it. Who carved in her name? Probably her parents. Maybe they really believed the rumor, and just wanted her to rest in peace? If it was like that, she sure has really amazing parents.

I should probably call out to her now. I don't want to keep her waiting. I coughed and asked in a loud voice: «Shinozaki? Are you in there? It's me Kishinuma». It didn't take long before I heard the shimmering voice:

 _Kishinuma-kun! Hi!_

«Yeah, hi!» I said, a little relieved that I could hear her voice. «Can I come?» I asked her.

 _Of course! Close your eyes._

Huh, again? «Why do you always ask me to close my eyes?» I asked her. She didn't answer. Did I say something rude? After maybe 30 seconds, she answered:

 _It hurts less when you close your eyes. Haven't you noticed? When you close your eyes, you always end up in your own little world. It's a human way to escape reality. That's how humans dream when they sleep._

I…I never noticed. But she's right. When I don't want to face something serious, I close my eyes to escape it. I've done that…so many times in my childhood. I closed my eyes and reached out my hand. Suddenly, I felt a plain hand grab mine. It must be her's.

 _Are you ready?_

I nodded and pressed my lips together and straightened up my back. Then, in a fast speed, she pulled me towards the hole. Once again, for a bliss second I was in pain. Bu tafter that, I felt wonderful. I think we're in the barrier now. But when I opened my eyes, I noticed that something was different.

The barrier has changed.

Shinozaki was still holding my hand and looking at the barrier with me. The barrier wasn't blue this time. It was in a sparkling, light-pink color. «It's different», I said. Shinozaki nodded. «Everyday, the color of the barrier changes. But it's more exciting that way isn't it? It's just boring to watch the same color every single day. I really love colors!» she said and laughed. I laughed with her and said: «Yeah, it is. I like colors too. What's your favourite color?» She looked surprised at my sudden question but she answered: «It changes from day to day. Today is red». «Red?» I asked. She smiled at me and said: «Yes. Red is a really warm color». «Yeah, it is warm», I said and smiled.

She smiled and faced away from me and to the barrier again. «We're here! You'll manage by yourself, right?» she asked me. «Yeah, I think I can», I answered. In a flash she already went though it without problems. I was hesitating. As I thought about the feeling yesterday, I felt a chill go down my spine. Pft, fuck it! I'm a man, last time I checked. I took a deep breath and ran through it.

Ugh, it's so gross! It's like going through a thick wall made out of boogers! After some struggling though, I powered through and panted heavily as I saw Shinozaki standing there, smirking at me. «How the hell can you get through there so easily?!» I asked her. «I told you yesterday, didn't I? The «body» I have is not really a body. I don't need to breathe and as long as I can surpass the gross feeling, it's completely fine», she said. I cussed under my breath but I showed her the basket filled with cinnamon rolls.

«Let's eat together!» I said embarrased. She raised an eyebrow and repeated: «Eat?» I nodded. «Or could it be that you can't eat?» I asked her. «Souls don't get hungry, since we don't need food. I can taste and swallow food, but I can't digest it. It'll just stay in my stomach until I cough it up again,» she said. «Doesn't it hurt?» I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders. «For souls, there are no unhealthy or healthy things,» she said. «Okay,» I mumbled. She smiled at me and said: «We can eat it together though! It's been a while since I've eaten anything at all! I've missed the flavour of sweets!» I smiled and sat down on the ground with her next to me. I took out a cinnamon roll and handed it to her.

«Thanks!» she said before popping it into her mouth. After chewing it, her eyes started to sparkle even more. «It's delicious!» she said and swallowed it. «It really is. My sister Miki made them,» I said after eating one. We continued to eat in silence while letting the sight of the sparkling, blue atmosphere sink in into our minds.

During the whole time we were eating, I once again thought about the dream… The crystal mountain. It was from another legened about the Seventh heaven and Andromeda. One that I didn't want to think about now.

«Hey…Shinozaki?» I asked. «Yeah?» she said. «I just… thought about another legened about Andromeda and I wonder…if it's real,» I said. «Okay? Which one?» she asked. «The one about the crystal mountain. Y'know, the one that Andromeda got her necklace from. The necklace with the crystal that can either kill or revive,» I said. She smiled a little and muttered: «I do believe it is. A close friend of mine searched for it.. She told me that she saw it, at least. But you will have to search the farest corners of the Seventh heaven.»

«I see…» I mumbled at her long response. A close friend, huh? No, I've asked her enough for now…

«Kishinuma-kun?» Shinozaki asked. «Yes?» I asked her. «I want to know more about you,» she said. I stopped eating and said: «Huh? Why?» Shinozaki laughed and said: ««Okay?» I mumbled. «Will you let me ask anything?» she asked me. «Yeah…», I answered. «Very well, then», she said and turned to me. Then she started asking me all kinds of things:

-Tell me a bit about your family, Kishinuma-kun.

-I live with my parents and my sister. Haven't heard much from my grandparents.

-What school do you go to?

-Kisaragi High.

-What do you do for fun?

-I like listening to music and playing the guitar.

-What's your favourite song at the moment?

-Oh, I've never had a favourite song. I just listen to everything I enjoy, really.

-What about you? What's YOUR favourite color?

I gulped and looked into her eyes. I don't know if it was the heavenly shade of blue I saw yesterday or if it was her…eyes. «Blue…,» I whispered. «Really? Why?» she asked me. I gulped again and turned my heated face away from hers. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said:

«It's the color of your eyes».

She didn't reply after a few seconds, which was unusual. Fuck, I shouldn't have said that. I acted way too bluntly! Oh well… I summoned up my courage and faced her. She looked completely speechless, but soon she bursted into a giggle fit. «What's so special with that?» she asked while laughing. «It…It always captures my attention. The shade of blue in your eyes, that is. It's a really pretty hue,» I said. She stopped laughing and looked earnestly at me. «Thank you..,» she said bashfully. She's so cute when she's embarrased!

The whole day went just like yesterday. She brought me to new places around the seventh heaven. She told me that in a lot of the places, the surroundings and the glass butterflies changes colors. When the sky turns black, it almost looks like night in the human world. She also showed me some kind of lake with a waterfall. But the water was just some kind of rainbow-colored wind that poured down from a cliff and down to the lake, making the lake look like it's multi-colored water in it. The whole place keeps amazing me. And then before I left again, we promised eachother that we would see eachother again the next day. And so we did.

For the past two weeks, I've been visiting Shinozaki almost every single day. Before I knew it, we already became almost best friends. I shared everything with her. Sometimes, I would bring my ipod and make her listen to my favourite songs. And every single day, the barrier and the surroundings in the Seventh heaven got a brand new, yet beautiful color. But one thing still bothered me.

Shinozaki never spoke a thing about herself.

It was kinda unfair, considering I told her almost everything about me. With the way she acts and the way she speaks, it must be because something happened to her in the past, right? Ugh, I don't know. I was on my way to the grocery shop to buy some chocolate. My plan was to bring it to Shinozaki so that the two of us could eat it together. On the way to the store, I passed by the a playground that was just by the elementary school. In the corner of my eye, I could see a really tiny girl sitting on the swing with a really empty look in her eyes, like the eyes of a dead fish. She had her dark blue hair in two small twintails and she was simply wearing a yellow top and a pastel-orange skirt. W-wait a minute!

Doesn't she look strangely familiar?

I stopped and turned around to get a closer look at the girl on the swing. I squinted my eyes to get a better look. When I did, my heart and mind stopped working.

The girl on the swing was Ayumi Shinozaki.

 **A/N: DAT TWIST DOE! D: Plz review and tell me what you think of this story so far! What the fuq is Ayumi doing in the human world?! What will happen next!? JUST WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?! FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CAHPTER XD Until then ;3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 is here! In this chapter, everything will be solved. Why Ayumi is in the seventh heaven, why Yoshiki saw her in the human world and why she never talks about her past! Be prepared! PLZ ENJOY ;3**

To this day, I still can't remember what I felt when I saw the girl with that empty look in her eyes. She just stared blankly at the ground with her hair swaying in the air. I just ran. I ran to her with shrunken pupils and my breath all over the place. I can't believe this. This can't be happening. Just this whole thing made me want to violently shake her and yell at her why she's not inside the Seventh heaven anymore. She noticed me getting closer to her and she looked terrified at me. I grabbed her by her shoulders and yelled at her:

«Shinozaki, what the hell are you doing here!? I thought you couldn't get out of the Seventh heaven! And what's with your hair!? It was way longer yesterday! Have you cut it or something?! Just tell me, what happened?!»

She looked even more terrified at me. This isn't the Shinozaki I know. Where's her calm smile and her lovely, sparkling eyes? I'm just so confused right now! While clutching her shoulders she stammered out: «I-I'm Shinozaki…but I-I don't know what you're talking about…You must have confused me with someone else… Can you please let me go? It hurts…!».

The fuck is she talking about?! I got really frustrated and yelled at her again, ignoring her request: «What the hell are you saying?! There's no way I'm mistaking you, you look just like the Shinozaki I know!»

She whimpered in fear as I violently shook her by her shoulders. I didn't even think about being considerate towards her when she obviously didn't recognize me and know why I was approaching her. But the anger and frustration I felt washed away all of my thoughts except for the thought that desperately yelled…Who are you right now?!

«What in the heavens are you doing to my daughter!?» a woman's voice suddenly yelled. I jumped and let go of her as I saw that a woman who appearently was Shinozaki's mom appearing before her. Gosh, her glare reminds me of a lion mother protecting her child. My eyes widened as I realized who exactly this woman was.

That woman was Asuka Shinozaki, the leader of the company about safety for children «Holy Sakura». They always have really huge campaigns and demostrations protesting about abusive parents and such. They usually manage to remove everything that seems to hurt children, for instance rocks that may have made several children get really serious injuries. She looked at me with really sharp eyes as she put her hand on Shinozaki's shoulder.

«Just what were you doing?!» she asked me again. «I…I…». I couldn't even speak. «We just went out to get some fresh air after being in the hospital for over a year and this happens?! I'll have to be more protective now!» she yelled and grabbed Shinozaki's hand. Shinozaki still looked scared and her eyes weren't shining like usual. «Come on, Ayumi. Let's go back. It's safer in your room,» Asuka said and pulled her. «Y-yes…» she whimpered as she followed Asuka.

What the…what the fuck just happened?! Her first name is Ayumi too?! Hospital?! I clutched my head in frustration. No matter how much I tried to make some sense out of this, I couldn't succeed. Even with my knowledge about supernatural stuff and the Andromeda tree, I couldn't understand why Ayumi was in the human world if she's dead. I took a deep breath and roughly rubbed my forehead. Shinozaki's probably the only one who can give me an answer on this. I don't give a shit if I've asked too much. I have to know why. Right after I bought the chocolate, I ran to the Andromeda tree the fastest I could.

…

«Shinozaki! It's me! Hurry up!» I yelled, really impatient.

 _What, Kishinuma-kun? You sound a bit eager today. Did something happen?_

«I…I have to tell you something…», I said.

 _Okay? You're scaring me a bit… Go ahead._

I took a deep breath and said: «On the way to the grocery shop, I saw someone who looked exactly like you, just that her eyes were a little dull and her hair was way shorter. Even her name was the same as yours. But when I asked her about it, she told me that she had no idea what I was talking about. Appearently she didn't even know who I was. What…what does that mean?»

She didn't answer and just kept being quiet for a few minutes. It sounded like she just left me hanging there with all these questions running around in my mind. I leaned my head against the tree and begged her: «Please…just please, tell me. I want to help you…»

I heard her sigh once. Perhaps it was of relief? «I can't keep secrets from you anymore. You deserve to hear my story,» she said and reached out her hand. And then, the process started.

…

Shinozaki grabbed me as we flew to the same empty spot we always hung out together at. As she sat down next to me, we kept quiet and didn't say anything to eachother. That didn't satisfy me at all. I needed some answers. «Can you start from the beginning?» I asked her. She slowly nodded. After a couple of seconds she said: «I told you that day. The souls here are souls that have been disconnected from their original bodies. Normally because of death. But, that however is not the case when it comes to me».

She took a deep breath before she continued:

«I'm Ayumi Shinozaki, the daughter of Asuka and Ayato Shinozaki. My mom is the leader of Holy Sakura, and she was always overly protective of me. Everyday before I went to school, she always told me to be careful and don't talk to strangers. And I always kept that image: Mom's little girl. I loved hanging out with my friends, but they teased me because of my mother. I didn't care though… Oh well, enough about that. I guess I can start off this explaination by telling you how much I used to, and still love astronomy.»

She giggled a bit at the memory. Then she continued:

«I loved stars. Every night, I would look out of my window and just study them and admire the way they showed off their colors and brightness. The way they sparkled and glistened in the black night sky was so fascinating to me. My friends wanted to become some kind of animals in their next life, but I…I wanted to be reborn as a star. I tried to count them, but I never managed to do so. That's why I asked my parents and all my friends to do it. But none of them could. I really wanted to be able to count them. But…I'll probably never be able to do it».

«But… You're still hoping, aren't you?» I asked. Shinozaki closed her eyes and whispered: «I was waiting for my starcounter, ever since I understood how much I wanted to count them.» «Your…starcounter?» I asked. She smiled and nodded. «That one person, who would do anything to satisfy my undying wish. It could be anyone… Anyone who cares for me so deeply that he or she would try to count the starts…and eventually succeed.» «…Do you think you'll ever find that person?» I asked. «Absolutely… I just don't know when,» she replied and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She took a break and laid down on the blue grass as the golden fragments floated up from it. She laughed a bit and said: «Heh…it's kinda embarrasing. I've never told this to anyone before». I smiled and patted her head. «But…how did you end up here?» I asked her. Her expression immediately darkened as I asked her that. «S-sorry…Maybe I shouldn't have». She put her index finger over my lips. «It's okay. I want to tell you,» she said. And so she did:

«It was the night after I turned 16. I was visiting my friend's house and I didn't go home before about 22 PM. It was really dark and I always felt like there was someone behind me. Suddenly, a man grabbed me from behind and pushed me against a wall. He was a pervert... No matter how much I resisted, he just kept going. H-he didn't stop…It…I-it was just horrible…»

Her voice slowed down as she shed a single tear. To think that something as awful as that actually happened to someone as joy spreading as Shinozaki…Ugh, the second I thought about that, I got a gut-wrenching feeling of disgust. If only I knew who that man was… I stretched out my hand to wipe the tear away. When I did, strangely it just got torn apart into a million golden glowing pieces and vanished into the air the moment I touched it. Dry tears… After a few minutes, she continued with shaking lips:

«Before he went too far, I managed to shake him off me. Just as I put on my clothes, I hurriedly just ran and ran, trying to escape with just some bruises all over my legs and stomach. When I realized that he wasn't following me anymore, I slowed down and took a deep breath. But…then I realized that I was on a highway. It was too late though.»

I noticed Shinozaki trembling as she thought back at the memory. «W-what happened?» I asked her. «I got hit by a car,»she said without a single emotion in her voice. My whole body stiffened. She…she got in a car accident? That's so…Sigh, poor girl… I put my hand on her shoulder and said: «I'm sorry…» She smiled a bit and said: «I didn't die from it.»

Wait, what?! «You didn't die from it?! Then how?!» I asked confused. «I'm not sure myself. But something DID happen to me.» I kept quiet so that she could explain:

«I fell into a really strong coma. Even when you're not concious, you still end up somewhere, right? My soul was just floating around in my room at the hospital. They'd cut my hair completely short and several wires were connected to my body. I didn't wake up until about 7 months and during that time, my parents were losing hope that I would ever wake up again. They knew I loved the Andromeda tree and the legend about the Seventh heaven, so they concidered carving my name in there. And the same day I woke up, but…I wasn't in my body».

«What do you mean?» I asked her. She explained:

«You know what amnesia is, right? When you've experienced something really traumatic, you just want to forget it. That's exactly what my mind did to me. To stop myself from experiencing mental breakdown when I woke up, my mind decided to shut those memories away from my conciousness and let it out of my body. That conciousness…Is my body, right now. I got amnesia, so the past me, which is me right now, got disconnected from my body. My body got a new soul, so now I didn't have any body to return to. But appearently, a soul gets trapped in there the night after their name has been carved. That's why I still was floating around, just like when I was in the coma. My parents got completely broken when they found out that their daughter wouldn't be the same ever again. I didn't really believe the rumor about the whole seventh heaven thing. That's why I felt like fainting when I suddenly got pulled by some invisible hands to the tree. And then…».

She looked at me, smiled and said: «You can pretty much guess what happened afterwards». She's gone through all that…It's hard to imagine that the cheerful Shinozaki with that innocent face has actually gone through all that, and not showing depression or sadness with me around. «And it's been like that ever since?» I asked her. She nodded. «Don't you feel mad? That your body has been taken over by some other soul?» I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders. «I guess,» she mumbled. She sounded causal as if it didn't bother her at all. But after a while, a new dry tear fell down.

«I want to see them…mom, dad and Hinoe…I want to see them so badly…,» she whispered and covered her face with her hands. «Shinozaki…,» I whispered and wrapped my arms around her. «K-Kishinuma-kun…,»she whispered. «Call me Yoshiki,» I said and stroked her hair. «Yoshiki-kun...Why did you listen to me…?» she asked. «Idiot… When you're suffering from something like that, you're not allowed to hide it from me. Let me carry half of your sorrow. I may be saddened by it sometimes, but I don't care. The only thing I care about right now is you. If you want to cry, then cry without holding back,» I said. «Yoshiki-kun…You're so kind to me…Sometimes I feel like I don't even deserve your kindness,» she muttered and buried her face in my chest, silently sobbing. I have barely known Shinozaki for 3 weeks, but I still feel like she's already become an important part of my life.

A really important one.

 **A/N: Poor Ayumi ;_; Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, go ahead and leave a review, telling me what you think! UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: CHAPTER 5 IS UP! I don't have anything to say, so just PLZ ENJOY ;3**

«Yoshiki, oh my goodness! What's with you being late all the time?!» mom yelled frustrated. «Sorry. Forgot about the time again», I mumbled and was about to go upstairs when mom stopped me. Oh fuck… She grabbed my chin and lifted my face up to make her gaze meet mine. I gulped and looked into her sharp gaze. «There's no way that you were there for 5 hours just laying down and sleeping. What else have you been doing?» she asked me in a calm voice.

«Um…» I hesitated because of my loss for words. «Is it something you can't tell me?» mom asked. Hah, exactly. I can't tell her. I slowly nodded. Mom sighed and let go of me. «I won't pressure you to tell me so that you'll regret it later, but can't you at least give me a little hint?» she begged me. I groaned and laid down on the couch. «I guess I can tell you…something…»I mumbled. I'll just ignore the part that she's not human. «Go ahead,» mom said.

«Well…there's this girl…» I said bashfully. Fuck, why did I start with that one. She'll just get too over-excited. «Oh, let me guess! You met this girl by the tree and everyday you go and meet her!» she said, her face lighting up and her eyes glistening. Just as I was about to protest, I stopped. I…guess she's right, isn't she? Sigh…Godammit. Mom has always been really good at guessing. «Yes, kind of…Or rather, that's literally the case,» I admitted. Mom laughed and put her hands together, making a really loud and sharp sound. «I knew it! And you like this girl, right?» she asked.

My cheeks got red and I stammered out: «N-no, what are you saying?! That's…I just…!» Once again, I was at loss for words. Mom just smiled at me and stroked my cheeks. «You're so mature, yet so young. It's a whole new set of feelings right? Twisting around in the pit of your stomach and fluttering in your chest?» she asked. I looked down and nodded embarrassed. It feels so weird to be around Shinozaki…My heart aches when I think about her, as if someone lightly punched through my chest and tickled my heart. Mom patted my head. «You do think of her as more than a friend, right?» she asked me. I nodded again, a bit more collected this time.

«But…it's impossible,» I muttered, lowering my head to the floor. «Huh? What is?» mom asked me. I clutched onto my thighs as I struggled to say it. There's no way that Shinozaki has any feelings for me. She's not even an actually human, yet she still has that human aura that's always surrounding her. In many ways, she's more human than anyone I've ever met. But if she actually was in her own body, then maybe we could…But how can I explain something that complex to someone as realistic as mom?

«She's…different,» I said. That was the sanest way to put it. Though, that wasn't a satisfying answer for her. «Everyone is. In just what way is she different?» she asked me. That hurts. That just hurts. A lot. «It…It doesn't matter…» I answered. «What? Of course it matters! If you like this girl, then you could just tell her how you feel about her and everything should be fine and dandy right?» she asked me. My blood boiled just thinking how that could never happen, even if I did. The sickening feeling turned into anger and frustration. «It's not that simple!» I yelled at her, unable to control my emotions. She jumped and her eyes widened. She probably hasn't seen me acting like this in such a long time… I'm able to control my anger most of the time, but at that moment I just…Argh!

Oh gosh, what did I just do?! «U-Um…» Mom looked terrified after my sudden outburst. «I'm sorry…I didn't mean you startle you like that,» I said. «No no, it's okay. I won't ask anymore about her today. I'm sorry,» she said, allowing me to go upstairs. «Ah…Goodnight, mom,» I said before doing so.

I wrapped the duvet even tighter around me as I kept thinking about Shinozaki and her past. She lost her virginity to a man she never met, she got in a car accident, she got amnesia and she got seperated from her body due to that… I can't believe all that happened to her before she ended up in the seventh heaven. Yet her cheerful smile and shimmering voice, always covered those scars that the painful accidents and experiences left on her body and mind. She's been suffering…

But the soul that's in Shinozaki's body right now…isn't that just a copy of her original soul? Or doesn't the world work like that? When I met her yesterday by the swing, I simply didn't recognize her personality. Relaxed and determined, turned into tense and shy. She told me that they cut her hair when she was in coma. That's why the human Shinozaki's hair was a lot shorter than the soul Shinozaki.

The more I thought about her, the more I understood just how I felt about her.

…

 _The sky above us. The sky below us. Those two skies met at a horizontal line in the Seventh Heaven, as if I were able to walk on clouds. But…why can't I move? Looking below me, I noticed that my wrists were tied together behind my back and that I was sitting on a chair, right in the middle of the sky-ground. Why won't they let me explore this amazing sight? I want to…look at it closely!_

 _Raising my head, I noticed two female figures standing several meters ahead of me with their backs turned to me. The one to the left was the girl from my dreams while the left one had short, brown hair and both of them were wearing long and flowy white dresses. They both looked gorgeous, but it was the girl of my dreams who looked the most beautiful. I want to see her face… Wanting to fulfill my desires, I yelled out: «Please! Turn around…!»_

 _As if my words cast a spell, the two women turned around and let their eyes meet mine. Their hair flowing to the left because of the refreshing wind was brightly shining as well as their eyes. The girl with the brown hair had these dull green eyes, as if she was going to faint. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she just put on a smile as if to reassure me that she was alright. She didn't care if she was weak and helpless. She had kindness and a pure soul, which made her stronger than any body builder._

 _That girl…She's close to the other girl in my dreams._

…

This time, Miki made some cheesecake for me and Shinozaki to eat. After trying to catch my breath after running without stop, I leaned against the Andromeda tree. «Shinozaki! I'm here!» I yelled.

 _Hi Yoshiki-kun! What did you bring today?_

Heh, I got a bit embarrased when she called me by my first name. It's just wierd to hear that coming out between her lips. «Um…Oh, yeah. I brought some cheesecake», I said, knocking myself out of my daze.

 _Yay, I can't wait! Okay then! Close your eyes and reach out your hand._

Once again, we redid the same process as we did the past 3 weeks.

…

As always, it was different. Like, really different. This was exactly what she was talking about yesterday. The «sky» was pitch black, but the souls and the golden fragments that were floating up from the grass lit it up. The glass butterflies were sparkling in different colors. The whole place was even more beautiful than before.

«It's like night, right?» she asked me. «Yeah…it's so pretty,» I said. She nodded and giggled. «Let's go to that waterfall again! That's a really nice place to eat! And there are even water lilies floating on the surface and they release those golden fragments, just like the blue grass!» she said really quickly while pulling me. I chuckled and just went with the flow as she grabbed me and flew me there. It's almost as if yesterday never happened…

The waterfall and the river was even prettier than last time. And just like Shinozaki said, there were golden fragments floating up to the sky just like the grass. She sat down and patted the space next to her, telling me to sit down. I did as she told me. Before I knew it, she was already messing around in the basket I brought. Hehe, she can't really help it when her sweet tooth's tugging on her hunger, eh? How cute…

«Where's the cheesecake?» she asked me. «Let me just take it out», I said and gave her a piece. She chewed the whole piece and smiled pleasently. «It's so good! I can't believe you sister made this!» she said. «I know, right? She's really good at baking pastries and regular dishes,» I said. We just ate in slience for a while. Even that silent moment, was special to us. But still, I felt like I had to start some kind of conversation.

«Do you have any friends here?» I asked her, completely out of the blue. She looked at me, surprised at my question, but she politely replied: «Well…There's this girl I hang out with, called Mayu when I'm not with you. She was the one who lectured me when I was new here». «So…You're not lonely, right?» I asked her.

Her lips turned into a thin line and she folded her hands together. Her glowing skin got even paler as the seconds passed. Her eyes stopped sparkling and she just sat there and looked at the water lilies, wearing an empty and dull gaze. «It's…» she said monotoned. I kept waiting for her to speak, but patiently so that I wouldn't pressure her. Her pupils were quivering as she whispered:

«It's lonely…when you're not here with me…»

My heart jumped at her quote. Did she just…Does she think of me in that way? «W-what…». She stopped my words and stared straight into my eyes. «Yoshiki-kun. Listen to me,» she demanded in all seriousness. I kept my mouth shut and looked into her sapphire eyes. My cheeks got really hot as I did. She told me earnestly:

«Yoshiki-kun…You…You're the only one who…I truly can speak with, without regretting anything. Even when I told you about my past yesterday, I…I didn't regret it. It felt wonderful after I told you eveything…I never imagined that a boy of flesh and blood could make me feel like that after I became what I am now. But sometimes…I never know when our last goodbye will be. You can't always be coming here until you get old, wrinkly and grey haired. Anytime soon…all of this…It will not be there anymore. But…»

She clenched her fists together and yelled out:

«I don't want that! I want you to keep seeing me and sharing desserts with me while we talk about different things…But, one day you'll stop and…I won't be seeing you anymore. I can't stand it…I'll just get lonely again….».

The dry tears that were streaming down her face, were sparkling in the reflection of the river and waterfall. All of those things that she said to me…they tugged on my heartstrings. I felt like I could just cry right now… «Don't say anything more!» I said and pulled her in for a strong hug.

«Yoshiki-kun…», she whispered. I buried my face in her pale, glowing neck and took in her scent. «I won't leave you here…Even if you're human or not, I'll still keep coming here! Don't think that I'll stop thinking of you someday!» I said and hugged her even harder.

«Ah! Yoshiki-kun, that hurts a little…» Shinozaki whimpered. I clumsily let go of her and said: «S-sorry!» But I kept my hands on her shoulders and I kept her close to me. Her sparkling, blue eyes were shining even more because of her tears. «Yoshiki-kun…» she whispered in a shaky voice. I stroked her hair and smiled at her.

Then suddenly, I brought my face closer to hers.

Her breathing got shaky, knowing what was about to happen, but she wasn't scared. I was with her. I don't want to hurt her.

We kept getting closer, until our lips were only a few inches apart. I could feel her hot breath on my lips.

Then, suddenly…

«AYUMI-CHAAAAN! What are you doing?»

We both got extremely startled at the voice behind Shinozaki, so we immediately moved away from each other. The soul behind Shinozaki was a girl with short brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a white dress, just like the other female souls in the seventh heaven. Oh my god…

It's that weak girl from the dream I had last night.

«Oh…Hi Mayu! Yoshiki-kun, this is Mayu. Mayu, this is the boy I told you about!» Shinozaki said and presented us to each other. W-Wait a second… So this girl is Mayu!? Alright, I seriously gotta calm down.. I don't want to seem like a weirdo to her. Mayu reached out her hand and said: «Pleased to meet you!» «Oh, yeah. It's good to meet you too,» I said and shook her hand. I was still a bit mad that she interupted that moment, but I could forget it soon enough.

«So, you're Yoshiki-kun? I haven't seen a human for a really long time!» she said. «Is that so? Well, here I am!» I said and smiled. «Right! Hehe, you're actually kinda cool, Yoshiki-kun! Doesn't all this seem terrifying to you?» she asked. I shrugged my shoulders and answered: «It was like that at first, definitely. But I've loved the legends, ever since I was a kid. I mean, it's really cool to know that a place like this actually exists.» Mayu nodded and said: «This world is amazing…»

With the three of us getting carried away by the talking, I eventually forgot how much I hated Mayu when she interupted that moment between me and Shinozaki. She thinks very purely and it's fun talking to her. I even forgot the moment she interupted… I remembered it the moment I went out of the Seventh Heaven.

I…I can't believe we almost kissed.

 **A/N: GODAMMIT MAYU, YOU FUCKING COCKBLOCKER! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Plz review and tell me your thoughts, like always! UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	6. Chapter 6 (NEW)

Wow, this month I've been thinking a lot before I go to sleep! But even more questions were in my head this time. Probably because of that…well it wasn't technically one but if that girl didn't interupt us, then maybe we could have had one! It would be my first…

I wonder what her lips would feel like…Not that I would know. I'm sure I won't get a chance like that again. But…it would be wonderful if I did. I just want to know the feeling, y'know. I'm not saying that I would kiss any girl just because of the experience. But if it's her…then I would definetely do it. I chuckled a bit as I noticed that I was blushing. How will it be when I'm going to see her tomorrow? Will she just forget about it? And why did she lean in too? Did she just feel like it, or did she…God, my head starts aching since I'm thinking too much when I'm tired. I really have to sleep now…ugh.

 _«Let me out of here! Please!» The girl who was holding my hand, held it even tighter when the girl inside the cage started screaming in an unbelievebly dreadful voice. It was the girl who looked so similar to Mayu…No. This was Mayu._

 _I turned around to the girl who his her face in my chest, scared. She knew that she couldn't help Mayu out, even if she tried. They just had to endure it, endure her screams and crying. «Please, let me see them! Let me tell them that I'm okay! ! I can't stay here forever! PLEASE!»_

 _«I'm so sorry!» the girl shouted, crying into my chest. Just yesterday in my last dream, Mayu his her sadness. But now… She can't hold it back after realizing that she's trapped in there. Long streams of tears were streaming down his cheeks and dripping down from her tiny chin as she violently shook the bars, trying to get out. I gently rubbed the scared girl's back, making her raise her face up, looking into my eyes. My own widened as I realized who I had dreamt about so much lately._

 _Ayumi…_

While making my bed, I gently smiled at the lovely, blue sky that I viewed from the window. It was a Saturday, 11 o'clock in the morning. Sigh…Thank god there aren't any classes today. I would much rather just teleport to the Seventh heaven at this instance, if I had some kind of teleporting device. Oh gosh… I really want to see her quickly. It definitely won't hurt if I visit her today. I wonder if Miki made anything today. I should bring some more in case I'll see Mayu too. After putting on some clothes, I went to the kitchen.

«Morning,» I said as I sat down on the table with mom and dad. «Good morning, onii-chan!» Miki said from the kitchen. «Yeah, morning,» dad said, not moving his gaze away from the newspaper. Mom nodded and smiled at me, folding her hands together while watching me as I made some toast for myself.

«Making anything special today?» I asked Miki. She nodded and showed me the small pastries in the oven while explaining: «I know it's not Christmas and all, but there was this strange feeling in my gut, telling me that I should make some gingerbreads.» Oh… «Gingerbreads huh? Mind if I bring some to the Andromeda tree?» «Of course not. I'm making a load,» she said.

«Going there again? How can you not get sick of it?» dad asked. «Well… I can't possibly get sick of it at this point…» I mumbled and smiled at the reason why. «What's that supposed to mean?» he asked. Mom laughed and patted dad on the shoulder and said: «Oh Isao, you're just as dense as when I confessed to you in highschool! Can't you see why?»

Isao scratched his chin and asked: «A girl?» «Exactly! That's why he brings sweets and gets home late!» mom said. «God, just stop talking about that!» I said, crossing my arms. «Aww! Onii-chan's in love for the first time!» Miki squealed out. «I'm NOT in love!» I yelled. «Well well my boy, I was going to assume that you were homosexual if you still didn't fall in love during the next five years,» dad muttered. «For Christ's sake, I'm not in love with her!» I yelled. Fuck, I have to escape! The moment Miki took out the gingerbreads, I put half of them in a basket and stormed out.

«Pant…Ayumi…Pant…I'm…here…!» I hissed out, exhausted.

 _Oh… Sorry Yoshiki-kun, Ayumi isn't here right now._

Huh? «Suzumoto-san? Where is she?» I asked, surprised when I recognized her voice.

 _I actually don't know! She just went somewhere. But you've got sweets, right? We could hang out instead!_

«Well, okay then. I don't mind sharing some with you,» I said.

 _Ah, great! I'll just pull you in right away!_

«Woah, I—AAAAH!»

My breathing got hitched in an instance as Suzumoto pulled me inside the hole.

…

«Thanks a lot for almost scaring me to death. I appreciate it,» I muttered, really irritated at her. «Ehehehe, sorry about that. It's just been a while since I've had sweets,» she said. «Sigh… I brought gingerbreads. Help yourself,» I said and let her mess around in the basket I was carrying. «Maaaaan, those look so good!» she squealed out like a little kid and chomped really loud as she put the first piece in her mouth. «It really IS good!» she said and continued eating. Wow, she really reminds me of Satoshi when she eats and talks. Carefree and kind of stupid, but in a good way.

«Sigh, I bet it would be way more fun if Ayumi was here too!» she mumbled sadly. «Yeah… I have to admit. Not that I don't enjoy your company,» I said. She glared at me, pointed her finger at me and said in a very dramatic voice: «If you two-time me and Ayumi I'll fucking bust yo' ass.» «What?!» I yelled, my eyes widening at both her statement and the way she spoke. «Hm? You think I didn't notice? You tried to kiss Ayumi yesterday, didn't you? That means that you have feelings for her! Gosh, I shouldn't have interupting you two! I could have viewed the sweetest love story ever!» she said, proud and teasingly.

«Hey! Just because I _tried_ to kiss her, doesn't mean that-…» She turned to me and cocked her head to the side before asking: «You don't like her? You can't have possibly leaned in just because you felt like it! She's very sensitive, so if that's the case and she finds out, she'll be so broken!» I sighed, scratched my cheek and whispered: «I didn't say that either… I actually… really wanted to kiss her.»

Suzumoto smiled and said: «That's really sweet. All I've found out is that Ayumi doesn't dislike you, at least. So even if you confess to her, she won't _completely_ reject you!» «Come on, I just like her! I don't, like… _love_ her… And even if I did, that won't change the fact that I won't ever be able to bring her to my world if we wanted to spend our lives together!» I protested. She sighed and said: «Even if you have a point, you have to remember that love doesn't have limits.» I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled: «Maybe it does, when it comes to the Seventh heaven.»

«Besides… I assume she has told you about her dying wish, am I right?» she asked. I nodded and answered: «To count stars.» «That's right,» Suzumoto said and told me: «When we first got to know each other and she told me about this, I immediately believed that I was her Starcounter. This must be fate that we met, so I need to count the stars for her! That's what I believed. You see, her Starcounter doesn't necessarily have to do anything to just count the stars for her… That person would have to do anything for her, as a person.»

«Is that so…» I asked. She nodded and smiled at me. «Now, I'm absolutely sure that you are her Starcounter.»

«M-Me?» I blurted out. «Mhm! I feel vibes of potential coming from you!» she said and laughed. «W-Wow…» I said, scratching my head. I don't know why I feel embarrassed to be called Shinozaki's Starcounter. But…Does Shinozaki really feel that way about me…?

After our sincere talk, we didn't talk about much. As sure as I was that I did indeed have feelings for Shinozaki, I couldn't help but to feel depressed after facing the truth like this. I'm sure I'm the only human being who will ever be able to meet the souls inside the Andromeda tree, so I can't be pitied by others.

«Yoshiki-kun. Do you like this world?» Suzumoto asked, putting an end to the silence. «Eh? The Seventh heaven?» I asked. She nodded, not facing me. «Yeah… I love this world,» I answered, looking up at the sky, which was in a strong yellow color. And with the ripples that were made by the golden fragments coming from the blue grass, the sky reminded me of orange soda. I turned to Suzumoto, who had an unusual grim look on her face as she asked me: «Why?»

Huh? What's up with her…? I scratched my head, trying to come up with a good enough answer. It might have been because of how much I loved the legend as a child, or it could be just how beautiful it was. But… Also because of _her_. Shinozaki. «…This world is different from the one I've lived in for the past 17 years. It is…a world I wanted to visit for so long, as long as I truly believed in that legend,» I said. The first seconds that followed after I finished my reply, Suzumoto didn't react in any way. «Hey… Why did you ask me that?» I asked her. Honestly, I was really scared that she would flip out since I questioned her. I didn't know her that well, so who knows? Maybe she's the passive agressive type.

«You don't understand… None of the images here are human. Do you even know how that feels?!» Mayu almost yelled out. I jumped, a little shocked because of how loudly she spoke. «S-Suzumoto… Images?» I breathed out. She tsked, got up and looked up at the sky while yelling: «Yes! We are images of our former bodies! We're not real, Yoshiki-kun! We were real when we were living in the world with our family, our friends in our home! We were human because we knew what it meant to be happy, sad, angry and afraid! But now…WE'RE JUST FAKE!»

I felt my legs violently shaking as she turned to me and whispered, her eyes filled with the dry tears: «Just because this world is different… It does not make this a wonderland. We're trapped, not even allowed to get out of here. We're not allowed to breathe or let our hearts beat… And we're not even allowed to contact the ones we care about… This is just…a prison.»

Suzumoto turned her head to the portal and just rested her gaze on it. «S-…Suzu-….» Just when I tried to reach out to her, she ran to the portal and roughly tried to move her entire body through it. But just as Shinozaki said that day… Souls inside the Seventh heaven can only move one body part out of the portal at the time.

«Come on! COME ON! I WANT TO GET OUT!» Suzumoto cried out, hurting herself because of the force that pushed her body away. It was like putting two negative poles on a magnet together; they push each other away.

«Suzumoto, don't!» I yelled and tried to hold her back, but she shook me off her and tried many more times, more powerfully. «WHY?! WHY CAN'T I JUST GET OUT OF HERE!? LET ME GO! PLEASE! LET ME OUT OF HERE! LET ME SEE MY DAD, JUST ONE MORE TIME!» she screamed, dry tears pouring down and floating into the air.

«MAYU!»

I turned to the right, seeing Shinozaki with a terrified expression on her face. She quickly flew to her and hugged her tightly from behind. «AYUMI, DON'T YOU DARE!» she screamed, squirming around in her arms. «Don't hurt yourself, please!» Shinozaki shouted, holding her back.

As if she flicked some kind of switch, Suzumoto fell onto her knees and stopped screaming. She had given up and leaned closer to Shinozaki while whimpering: «I'm so sorry… But I can't take it… I can't stand being a prisoner…!» «Shh…It's okay, Mayu…» Shinozaki whispered soothingly, rubbing her back. She acts so motherly…

I went a bit closer to Shinozaki and put my hand on her shoulder. She turned to me and said: «Yoshiki-kun… I'm sorry for not being here… I just..» «It's okay. I'm just glad you were here when things turned bad,» I said. She smiled and nodded.

Now… I think I understand how it must feel to be here as a soul.


	7. Chapter 7

_I've never truly felt like a man…Until I finally understood what it meant to protect someone. I held her the girl tightly in my arms as we were sitting down on the soft grass. We weren't in danger or anything. No one was attacking us. We weren't scared, hiding or even preparing to fight. Everything was just…peaceful. But still, even if someone was attacking us, I would protect her. No matter what. I knew that I would do anything, just to keep her happy. I would still do anything to keep her happy, even if there was another man who protected her. «Yoshiki… Don't ever let go of me,» the girl in my arms whispered, clutching her pale hands into my back. «I won't ever do that…Don't worry,» I reassured her._

 _No matter what…I wouldn't let go of her._

…

I wonder how Mayu is… Gosh, I can't even imagine how much she's been suffering, just like Shinozaki. However… I don't know how she died. Or maybe it's the same for her as for Ayumi? That she just suffered from some kind of illness or memory loss? Oh well, I hope she's alright. If I see her after school, I'll be sure to share some sweets with her as well. Ah, I wonder what I should bring today…

«Well, don't you look happy right now!» Satoshi said and patted me on the shoulder. We were in the classroom waiting for our teacher Yui sensei to come. «Huh? How can you tell?» I asked him and chuckled. He laughed with me and said: «You probably didn't notice it then. You've been smiling and blushing this entire time. Almost like a girl when she's close to a guy she likes,» he said. Pft, what?! «Excuse me?!» I yelled at him, raising my fist. «Geez, relax man! I meant it as a figure of speech!» he said. I groaned and leaned my face into my hand. «Is it about that girl you told me about?» he asked. I nodded. Satoshi's clumsy, but I can tell him about just anything if I have any problems. Even if the situation me and Shinozaki are in right now, might be too complex for him.

«So, do you have a crush on her or not?» he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. «What's that supposed to mean?! You were blushing this entire time!» he said. «Well, she's really important to me. But I'm not sure if it's love or not,» I replied. God, what the hell am I doing? Didn't I just tell myself that I could tell Satoshi anything? I'm just a pussy. Nothing more and nothing less.

«I don't get how that works… But okay,» he mumbled and sat down next to me. His desk was right next to mine. «Are you going to see her again today?» he asked me. I nodded. Good luck with that, man,» he said. «Thanks, I guess,» I mumbled and shut my mouth when Yui sensei opened the door.

…

«Geez, why do you always bring sweets everytime you're going to meet her?» Satoshi asked. «She loves sweets,» I said as I pulled out the box, filled with strawberry macaroons. Just as I was about to leave the school porch, Satoshi put his hand on my shoulder. «What is it?» I asked him. «Can I meet her someday?» he asked me. He stared straight into my eyes with a serious look. A look that I rarely see on his face «That's…» I stammered out. «Why? Just why is she so hard to talk about?! Can't you at least tell me her name?» he begged me. I thought about it for a while. He was still giving me that earnest look. I guess there are a lot of girls named Ayumi… But in this town, I'm pretty damn sure Asuka Shinozaki's family is the only one with the family name «Shinozaki». Welp, I have no choice. I have to call her by her first name. I gave him the same look and said:

«Ayumi. Her name is Ayumi».

Satoshi kept staring at me, as if he was still waiting for an answer. «Can you…please let me go now?» I asked him awkwardly. He blinked his eyes twice, processing what I'd said and immediately let go. «S-sorry!» he said, allowing me to leave. I did as he allowed me to.

«Hi Shinozaki! I brought your favourite!» I yelled. Ever since Shinozaki told me about her past, she didn't hesitate to tell me everything about herself. That made me really happy though. It's really weird how happy I got when she told me that her favourite dessert was strawberry macaroons.

 _Hi Yoshiki-kun! Wait, my favourite? Do you even remember what my favourite sweet is?_

«It's strawberry macaroons, isn't it? Don't worry, I bought a whole bunch of them!» I said.

 _Yay! I can't wait to eat them with you!_

I chuckled, closed my eyes and reached out my hand. Just like the other times, she pulled me inside that magical world.

…

«Firstly…How is Mayu?» I asked her after going out of the barrier with Shinozaki holding my hand. «Don't worry about her… She has had outbursts like that in the past, but this time, she hurt herself and I wasn't there to hold her back…» she muttered. Ah… «Where is she now? I asked. «She just went somewhere to rest, I think. It usually keeps her calm and collected,» she said. «Alright… That's good,» I said and smiled.

«It's really nostalgic, isn't it? Even though it was barely a month ago», Shinozaki said after looking around in the waterfall. «Yeah…», I said as I let the memories of our first encounter sink in. The surroundings were in the same color as the first time I visited this place. Heavenly blue. Shinozaki sat down on the blue grass and dipped her feet into the rainbowcolored water. She waved at me, telling me to do the same next to her. I did as she wanted me to.

«Where did you buy these? There's no way your sister made these, right?» she asked. «Macaroons are hard to bake, and my sister is not THAT good. I bought them at a local café,» I explained. «I see. Gimme gimme, I wanna taste!» she said and violently moved her arms. I just had to smile at her child-like behaviour. It's like having another little sister, exept that I feel a lot stronger about Shinozaki.

She popped a macaroon in her mouth and chewed it. Just as she swallowed it, her eyes sparkled and she squealed out: «Oishii desu!» I laughed and patted her head. It's like the-almost-kiss-scene didn't take place yesterday. It all seemed like a bad, yet wondeful dream now.

«It's wierd, isn't it?» she suddenly said. «Hm? What is?» I asked as I chew the last piece of the macaroon I held. She looked at me and smiled shyly. «When you eat something sweet with someone you care for, it tastes even sweeter», she whispered.

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Did she really mean that? «I…I didn't know…», I whispered. «What?» she asked. «I didn't know that you think of me like that…» I admitted. She laughed and said: «Did you really think that I just see you as some sort of distraction from this world?» I blushed and nodded. «Idiot», she said and bumped me on the head. «Ow!» I yelled and covered it.

«Well yes, I do use you as some sort of distraction. But don't get me wrong. I absoulutely treasure all of these moments that we've shared together. And those memories, are there to distract me from my current situation. I'm trapped inside here and I'm no longer human. But being with you…It makes me feel human again».

My heart softened up at those beautiful words. «You ARE human», I said. «No, I'm not», she protested and wrapped her hands around her knees. «Yes, you are!» I yelled at her. She smiled a bit and closed her eyes. «No matter how many times you say it, it's still not going to change anything. I'm just an illusion of my body. I'm not a real human of flesh and blood. End of story», she said sadly.

«Shinozaki», I said and took her hand. «Y-Yoshiki-kun!» she mumbled embarrased, avoiding my gaze. «Shinozaki. You're more human than I will ever be!» I said to her with an earnest look. She looked at me almost if she was about to cry any minute. «I…Thank you…», she said and turned away from me. We continued to talk for a bit more. «A bit more» however, turned out to be 3 hours.

…

Like always, I was a bit shaken up after the process. But that wasn't it. When I walked ahead of myself with closed eyes, I hit a some kind of band made out of plastic. After shaking my head and coming back to my senses, I noticed that it was that kind of band that police men used around a crime scene. It was yellow and said with huge, black letters: «KEEP OUT!»

What the… I looked behind me and noticed a huge white poster with black letters. As I read it, my blood ran cold and my heart almost stopped beating:

Due to accidents involving young children climbing and falling down, it has been decided by the company «Holy Sakura» lead by Asuka Shinozaki that the Andromeda tree will be cut down. Until then, DO NOT APPROACH THIS TREE.

 **A/N: DUN DUN! What the fuck will happen next?! Why would Asuka cut down the treet hat has her daughters name written on it?! How can Yoshiki and Ayumi stay together now?! Will Yoshiki be able to stop this?! Find out in the next chapters! There are probably only 3-4 chapters left of this! UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: CHAPTER 8 IS UP! From now on, this story won't be as light-hearted as it usually is, but That was my plan from the beginning however. It will become more serious from this chapter and so. My whole goal in this story, was to add a lot of psychological aspects in it, making the reader actually feel the pain and despaitr the characters are going through. And btw, in this story, I turned Ayumi's mom into a complete psycho XD U don't believe me? Well, read for yourself in this chapter! PLZ ENJOY ;3**

No. Just…No! This can't be…No no no no! Why is this happening!? In rage and frustration, I violently ripped the band apart and clutched the grass tightly. «NO, NO, NO!» I yelled and hit the ground several times. I won't be seeing it anymore…If only they knew! Just because of some injuries!? Really?! Fucking really?! Shinozaki…what will happen to Shinozaki?! I screamed out in agony and hit the ground again, making the grass really muddy. «Please, stop doing that son!» a man yelled and helped me up. He was wearing a fine ass suit and looked very sophisticated. He was carrying a bag, filled with the same posters. I shook him off me.

«GET OFF ME!» I yelled and fell down to the ground. My breathing was uneven and my whole body was all shaken up. I couldn't help but to whimper at that harsh reality that just hit me. The Andromeda tree will be cut down…I won't be seeing the seventh heaven anymore…I won't be seeing her…Her! «This just…this can't…», I whimpered out. My fear and anger quivered my voice and shed a few tears.

The man was still behind me, really scared because of my behaviour. «A-are you allright?» he asked me. «DO I FUCKING LOOK ALRIGHT?!» I yelled at him, still angry. He jumped back, startled once again. Fuck, what am I doing…? I'm only causing more trouble than I already am. «Sorry…» I mumbled. «No, it's quite alright. That tree must mean an awful lot to you, just like myself…» the man said. Huh? Then why is he hanging up these? I got up and answered: «Not exactly the tree, but…». No, I can't tell him. No one would understand. «It's okay, you don't have to tell me. I'm quite familiar with the legends and the traditions surrounding this tree», he answered.

He walked a bit closer to the tree and ran his hand over the name, Mayu Suzumoto. Wait…is he related to Suzumoto in a way? When I think about it…They look really similar! Could this man be…her father? The man smiled bittersweetly and said: «My daughter loved every day we spent by that tree. Me, my wife and her often went here on sunny summer days, like these. Everytime, I would tell her about the legend about the greek princess Andromeda. She never got tired of them no matter how many times I told them. She loved those stories even more than the tree.»

What…? Why is he telling me this? But, for whatever reason, I was curious. «What, uh…happened to her?» I asked hesitantely. He looked at the name with a sad look and said: «She was suffering from leukemia for quite a long time. The doctors said that it was about 80 percent certain that she would live, so she didn't need the chemotherapy to survive. Yet…». I noticed that his hands started shaking a bit. «She died the day before she turned 17», he said calmly.

Oh crud. Now I feel bad for hating Mayu. Right now, I only have several more reasons why I should sympathize with her. No wonder she hates being imprisoned and why she wants to see her family so desperetly. I can't even imagine what she and her family's been through... I totally feel like shit now for acting that way towards him now. «I'm sorry for your loss,» I said sympathetically. «No no, It's alright. That was a long time ago,» he said and smiled a bit. I pointed at his bag and asked: «So…you're working at «Holy Sakura», am I right?» He nodded. «I got ordered by Shinozaki-san to hang up these posters everywhere. But ever since I carved in my daughter's name in there, I…». His expression darkened again.

I knew what I was going to do now. I have to do this, if I want to keep seeing the Shinozaki I know.

The Shinozaki I adore.

«Can I meet your boss?» I asked him. He looked shocked at me and asked: «Are you out of you mind, boy?! Do you have any idea what that woman is capable of doing?» «I am. That's why I have to change things», I said determined. The man groaned and clenched his fists. After sighing and scratching his head, he said: «Hop in the car. I'll drive you». I could feel my insides lighten up a bit. I actually have a chance now! «Thank you so much, sir!» I said gratefully. «Don't mention it», he mumbled, telling me to follow him. I did as he told me to.

...

The main building to «Holy Sakura» was in the main town. The main town had lots of huge buildings, so it almost seemed like a japanese version of New York. I looked out of the window with a longing expression. It was almost 6 PM and the sky was burning with multiple hues of orange, purple and pink. It almost looked like the sky was burning…I wish Shinozaki could see this with me. I must say, this guy's car is just as fancy as his suit. Who would've known that employees of company's protecting children were so damn fancy?

After driving for a while, the man asked me: «What did you say your name was?» «Yoshiki Kishinuma,» I said. «Yoshiki-kun, then. My name is Kenichi Suzumoto,» he answered. «Ken-chan, then,» I said teasingly. He chuckled and said: «Don't you dare. Suzumoto-san will do,» he answered. «Fiiiine. Just keep being rejecting my cute nicknames,» I said sarcastically. He laughed a bit and continued driving.

«Just why do you want to meet her so badly?» Suzumoto-san asked. I blinked a couple of times and replied: «I just…want to change fate». He raised an eyebrow at me and mumbled: «You're a weird one, son. Don't know what's going through your head right now». «Trust me, you don't want to know», I said. He shrugged and suddenly pulled over to a parking lot. «Is this it?» I asked him. «Yes», he answered. «Go on. I'll show you the way». «Thanks», I said and went out of the car with him next to me. The building was enormous! I guess I kinda underestimated their company. Just kinda.

«I'll tell the receptionist», he said. I put my hand on his shoulder. «I can at least do that by myself», I said and went ahead of him. Surprisingly, I didn't even care when he desperately tried to stop me from behind.

...

«Good evening and welcome to the main building of Holy Sakura! How may I help you?» a woman with green eyes, short brown hair and a sugar-sweet smile asked. She was behind a clear, white desk with a computer, several documents, pens and a cup of extra black coffee. Behind her was a gigantic aquarium with rainbow-colored fish inside, swimming around. «I would like to meet your boss,» I said determined. Her smile immediately disappeared as I formed out those words.

«Excuse me?» she asked. «You heard me. I want to meet her, right this instant!» I said, a bit scarier this time. She gulped and looked around in the room nervously. She coughed and said in a nervous tone:«I…I must apologize. You need an appointment to be able to meet her in person. If you would like, I could…». I slammed my fist on her desk, making her jump and let out a little squeak. I glared at her and yelled:«I don't give a damn about appointments or shit like that! Just let me…».

Suddenly, I felt someone pat my shoulder. «Kotori-san, he's with me. He has a little attitude problem so please excuse us, but please don't bother. I'll take care of him,» Suzumoto-san said behind me, surprisingly proffesionally. The woman, apparently named Kotori-san took a deep breath and said calmly: «As you wish, Suzumoto-san. Shinozaki-san's office is at the 14th floor. You may proceed». She pointed at the elevator at the end of the hallway. Suzumoto-san gripped my shoulder tightly as we went inside and pressed the button that said «14».

«Attitude problem?! The hell?!» I complained. «What else should I've told them? I woud've gotten fired if you went any further!» he said. I grunted and crossed my arms. «Now, be sure to behave yourself when you're meeting her. She's very impatient,» he said. «Got it,» I said. When the doors slid opened, he lead me to a huge black door with a small metal sign on it, saying: «Shinozaki».

«Let me inform her first», he said. It didn't even sound like a question. I nodded at him, and he went inside. After a while he came out and nodded at me. I nodded back and took a deep breath. After I did, with small steps I went inside.

The entire office was black, except for the desk, which was white including the chair. And on the chair, Shinozaki's mother sat with her hands folded together. At first, she was looking at me with a soft look. But when she remembered who I was and what I did to the human Shinozaki, her gaze sharpened and I felt a touch of uncomfortableness as she stared at me. I gulped and sat down on the chair that was just ahead of her desk. We were just silent as we sat and stared at eachother. Suddenly, she broke the silence:

«Welcome, sir», she said. «Ah…thank you,» I said. «What do you wish to talk to me about?», she asked. God, what should I say now? That day, I only got a taste of what she can do! She can probably kill me, and not even Suzumoto-san would even bother to bury my overkilled body! But…if it's for her, then…

I'll do it.

«I don't want you to cut down the Andromeda tree,» I said in a low voice, terryfied of what she could do to me if I pissed her off. Her lips turned into a thin line of agony and impatience. «Will you repeat that, please?» she asked in a calm, yet cold voice. No, it didn't sound like a question. She _demanded_ me. My breathing got hitched, but I answered as calmly as I could: «I said…I don't want you to cut down the Andromeda tree!»

After a couple of minutes with silence and her almost staring me to death, Asuka-san started to laugh out loud. Terrifyingly loud. She kept laughing and laughing, until she stopped in about three minutes later of laughing. Then she looked at me from behind and said: «Do you really think that I will stop that process now?» «Please…I really don't want that tree to be gone!» I begged her. She stared at me, almost as if she was mentally chocking me to death. She laughed again and said:

«Then tell me mister…». «Kishinuma», I answered. She rolled her eyes and continued: «Right. Then tell me, Kishinuma-san; Why do you want to keep that tree there so badly? Is it just because of some kind of memory or momento you want to keep? Maybe because you don't want the local legend to die? Or maybe someone's name you care about is carved in there, and sadly that person is no longer in your life? Do you really want to fulfill those naïve ideas of yours?!»

Gradually, her voice increased in volume as she spoke and she started to sweat a bit from her forhead. She looked at me with a nearly insane look. What have I done…? No, I can't be pussying out now! Definitely not now! If I don't want Shinozaki to leave, I have to do anything to prevent that! The anger inside me was boiling very madly, struggling to keep itself restrained. How dares she call me naïve?! I just want to be with a person I care about, and she calls me naïve?! I yelled out:

«Why won't you understand?! If it was just some kind of place I like to hang out at, I wouldn't bother this much if it was going to get cut down! And do you really think that I believe what you wrote on that poster?! Due to children falling down, my ass! I go there almost everyday and I rarely see anyone there except for myself! And didn't you carve in your daughter's name in there!? What the hell kind of parent are you?! If you love her, then fucking let that tree stay there, dammit! Or do you just want to forget her since your own daughter doesn't remember you and that you know that you're never going to get the old Ayumi ba-…ARGH!»

My words got stopped by her strong hands, gripping my neck. She pressed her teeth together tightly and her eyes were like knives, killing my conciousness. She groaned and screamed out: «IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT AYUMI AGAIN, I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING THROAT OUT! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!? YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING!»

I coughed at the lack of air and I almost felt like fainting…What's this…? My body…it feels really cold…Is this how it's going to end.

 _Shinozaki…Do you remember our first encounter?_

 _Heh…you insisted that I should call you by your first name, yet I still don't have the corage to do it._

 _If only you could see me now…getting chocked by your mom, just because I want us to stay together._

 _It's funny, isn't it?_

 _I'm doing all this…_

 _Don't do this any worse._

 _This is a dangerous game._

 _Ayumi…_

 _I lo-…_

«Stop that immediately, Shinozaki-san!» Suzumoto-san suddenly yelled from the door and jumped on top of Asuka-san, letting me go. I fell down on the floor and desperately gasped for air. Suzumoto-san was struggling to keep her down, as she was shaking her wole body, trying to attack me again. «AAAAARGGH! LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!» she screamed out.

 **SLAP!**

That ear-splitting sound, created a barrier of silence in that big office. Asuka-san held her hand against her red and swollen cheek and whimpered. She shed a few tears. «You have no right to hit him like that, do you hear me!?» Suzumoto-san yelled at her.

She whimpered and sobbed loudly. «Sh….She will never come back…*hic*…», she whispered out. I was still on the floor, trying to hold my tears back as well. This can't be…I can't do anything…No matter what I do, I always end up hurting myself even more. I can't change fate. Realizing that I can't do anything, I yelled out in despair:

«SHINOZAKI!»

 **A/N: Damn, shit's going down from now on! O_O Hope you enjoyed that fucking intense chapter! PLZ REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Haaaaaaaa, chapter 8 is up! This chapter will be really emotional…PLZ ENJOY ;3**

Why? Just why do I keep hurting others, even when I don't want to?! I just opened the door violently and ran upstairs to my room without even explaining anything to mom, dad and not even Miki! They're probably sickly worried about me… I don't want them to worry about me! I'm…fine… ARGH! I couldn't stop my tears from streaming down. I have my pride as a man, but I just can't…I can't keep these feelings locked inside of me!

Even though her mother went completely insane after I protested against her, that didn't stop Suzumoto-san from slapping her incredibly hard. He even offered me a drive home. He's a good man, that's for sure.

But…what will happen to the souls inside the Andromeda tree? I asked Shinozaki that question the first time we met, and she said that…they would disappear. Disappear… That word stabbed me in the heart like a knife.

Just the thought of not seeing Shinozaki anymore made my tears endless. How am I supposed to tell her everything? It may not mean that much to her since she's already "died" one time, but…Even though I told myself a thousand times to just forget her and keep moving on, I couldn't do it. Shinozaki…she's…she's…

…she's the first girl I've fallen in love with.

…

 _«Don't…Don't leave me…»_

 _If only my words could reach the girl who stood there in an aura of sadness and despair. She was crying, huge streams of tears dripping down from her cheeks and chin. She didn't want to leave me either, but we were destinied to be seperated. No matter what, I couldn't stay here to protect her anymore. I felt as if there were invisible hands pulling me back when I reached my arms out to embrace her. Huh…?_

 _What's…happening to her dress..?_

 _The white, flowy dress she always was wearing was gradually turning black from the neckline and down. Slowly, her entire appearence got influenced by the dark aura. The closer the pitch-black color went downwards to the skirt, her gaze darkened. «What's happening…Shinozaki!» I yelled. Then, when the color had even colored the hem of her skirt, she fell onto her knees, covering her eyes. «SHINOZAKI!» I yelled. «I'm sorry….Please don't hate me…!» she whimpered out, as the sky in the Seventh heaven started breaking into a million pieces, just like glass._

 _No…_

…

"Yoshiki, aren't you supposed to go to school now?!" dad asked from the door opening. "I've caught a cold", I said. "Idiot, it's the middle of June. There's no way you can get sick during the summer!" he said. "I told you, I'm not feeling well", I said. There was a long silence. Dad sighed and said: "I'll call your teacher then. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?" I didn't answer, but I closed my eyes and turned away from him.

It was just the half-truth. I didn't catch a cold, but I wasn't feeling well. And that terrifying dream I just woke up from didn't exactly light up my mood. Before I went to sleep yesterday, I told myself that I would tell Shinozaki everything. End of story. A couple of minutes after I heard that dad went outside, I dressed myself and went to the Andromeda tree.

…

This was the first time I felt sad when I called out to her. "Hi Shinozaki. It's Yoshiki", I said.

 _Hi Yoshiki-kun! What did you bring today?_

This was also the first time I felt sad when I heard that shimmering voice of Ayumi Shinozaki. "Um…I didn't bring anything today…sorry," I said sadly.

 _No, don't apologize! As long as I get to talk to you, I don't min done bit if you haven't brought anything!_

My heart got stabbed again. Knowing that the times we spent together only will become faint memories, my chest tightened. I closed my eyes, reached out my hand and said: "I'm ready". The plain hand grabbed mine and dragged me into the Seventh heaven.

The sky was in a shade of mint-green this time. Shinozaki noticed that I was acting weird and stroked my forehead with a very gentle touch. "Is something the matter? You can talk always talk to me about it, you know," she said and smiled. I strongly gritted my teeth together. She led me to our same spot, which as always wasn't crowded with souls. We just sat there and enjoyed each other's company. "Shinozaki…", I said. She turned to me and asked: "What is it?" "I…have to tell you something", I said. "Uh-oh, is it serious?" she asked. I slowly nodded. "Then, go ahead", she said.

How the hell am I supposed to tell her this?! Now, I just think of my thoughts earlier today as complete rubbish. Of course she'll be bothered by it! Disappearing…It's serious stuff! I took a deep breath and got straight to the point:

"The Andromeda tree will be cut down".

It was almost like the world stopped glowing. Everything got several shades darker than they originally was, including Shinozaki's eyes. "What…?" she asked dumbfounded. "You heard me…", I whispered, struggling to hold my tears back. Shinozaki stared straight at the ground with widened eyes and let out a whimper. "You…you're not joking, right?" she asked in a low voice. "Why the hell would I joke about something like that?" I asked. "You wouldn't…", she whispered. I nodded. Once again, a silence floated in the air. She was just as shocked as I was.

"Wh…when will it…", she asked with a shaken up voice. "In a week", I said. "How do you know?" she asked. I sighed and said: "I went to the main building of "Holy Sakura" and got more information there… And I talked to your mother," I answered. She didn't say anything. She just sat here with empty eyes and her hands folded around her knees. "I knew this day would come anytime soon…", she said.

I turned my head to her and asked: "What?! What do you mean?" Her bangs covered her eyes as she spoke in a very monotone voice: "I was the apple of mom's eye. I do have an elder sister, but she is more concerned about me. After she gave birth to me, she got some kind of illness, causing her to not being able to get pregnant again. After that, she was always over-protective against me. But after I got amnesia and I didn't have any memories, she must have felt that she didn't succeed in protecting me like she wanted to, making her mental state get unstable. She must have been really harsh on you yesterday, am I right?"

"You don't wanna know", I said, shivering as I thought back on the feeling of not being able to breathe. She put her hand on my shoulder and said: "I'm sorry". She continued:

"She only carved my name on the tree, since she knew that I loved the legend about the Greek princess Andromeda. But now, every time she passes by the tree, she feels the same pain, again and again. Her daughter is replaced with a copy that doesn't even remember her own family. That's the only logical explanation I can come up with on why she would want it removed".

I nodded understandable, but I felt my heart getting stabbed several times. "And just what exactly will happen to you?" I asked her. She didn't answer. After a few minutes of silence, I looked over at Shinozaki, noticing dry tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked at me and wiped them away. "S-sorry…I' m only making this more difficult for you… You could just stop coming here and simply forget everything. That's for the best right?" she said in between sobs.

This was making me angry. Really angry. Watching her, lying about her feelings, made my blood boil. I rose up from the grass and glared at her. "What's wrong?" she asked. Acting so innocently…like nothing I said effected her in any way. It fucking pissed me off.

"You're not cute when you're not honest," I said coldly. "Huh?" she asked dumbfounded. I clenched my fists together and yelled at her:

"After all that, you're still going to hide your true self?! Even though I cried myself to sleep last night since I knew that I couldn't stop this, even though your mom almost chocked me to death and even though I'm telling you that we might never see each other again, you're still trying to put on a tough face and just pretend that everything's cool?! Why can't you just be more honest about how you feel?! If you're sad, then fucking show me that you're sad! WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH THAT?!"

Shinozaki looked shocked at me as her pupils and her lips quivered in despair. My own eyes were glistening by my wet tears. Shinozaki looked at me as if she wanted to choke me, just like what Asuka-san tried to do to me yesterday. But instead, she covered her eyes while sobbing into them.

"Yoshiki-kun…I'm sorry!" she yelled out in between sobs. While shedding a few tears, I got down on my knees and pulled her into a strong embrace. "I don't care if you cry… Cry as much as you want. Just let it all out instead of keeping it inside. If you have anything to say, don't hesitate. 'Cause…You're really cute when you're honest," I said. She hiccupped and buried her face in my chest.

"I don't want this! I don't want to….I don't want to get lonely again, Yoshiki-kun! I can't stand this! I just want to die and get forgotten by everyone!" she yelled out. "Don't say that…!" I hissed out. "I can't….I just can't accept this fate...There must be some way we can…", she whimpered out. "I'm sorry Shinozaki…but I don't think there's anything we can do",I said.

Suddenly, Shinozaki got quiet and let go of me. Her whole expression darkened at my quote. She rose up her face to meet mine. She did her best to act tough, without succeeding. Once again, she burst into tears as soon as she saw my tear drenched face.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" she yelled out and went down, and sat as if she was praying, to the grass. Hulking and sobbing face down to the ground I looked up to the golden sky. I gently patted her head. God… He's simply unfair. I don't care what destiny it is that's tied to me and Shinozaki, but please…don't make Shinozaki cry for someone like me…

She raised up her face and looked at me. "Yoshiki-kun…I want to stay with you. I really do, but like you said…we can't change our fate", she whimpered out and slowly strechted her hand towards me. I lowered my head, rose up and walked away from her. This is just getting too much…I can't take this…

"Where are you going?!" she yelled after me. I moved my legs a bit faster, trying to avoid her and run off to somewhere. I just can't stand looking at her face right now. It hurts…when I see someone I care about so much, crying like that. Where did all the happiness go? Right now, it just seems like there's no hope left for us.

If you only knew all the things I could tell you, we could be dancing with stars in the night.

"Yoshiki-kun!" Shinozaki yelled after me and grabbed my hand. "Don't touch me!" I yelled at her and shook her hand away from mine. Her mouth was a bit open and her pupils had shrunken a bit.

I looked at my hand, terrified. "I…I can't…", I mumbled. Shinozaki closed her eyes and said:"I understand…Come on, I'll show you the way".

 _I don't know what happened to me at that moment. It was like an electric shock of emotions ran through my body and pierced my heart. My hand reacted by reaching itself out to her. Just as it gripped her hand, I pulled closer to myself and stared at her with tears in my eyes and my teeth showing. But I wasn't smiling…_

"Yoshiki-kun…I…I don't understand…", she whispered. I knitted my eyebrows together, expressing the frustration in my mind. "I can't let you go, do you hear me?! I CAN'T LET YOU GO!" I screamed out in desperetaly as the endless tears kept streaming down. "You have to…I'm sorry…", she answered and tried to shake me off. No, it can't fucking end like this! I want Shinozaki and this prison of a tree can't stop me! I screamed again:

"I literally can't let you go! Shinozaki, from the day I met you, you were the only reason I wanted to come back here every day! You've changed me for the better and even now, I can't imagine a day without your smiling face and talking to me!"

"Stop it…You'll just keep hurting yourself…" Shinozaki whispered. I took her hand and forced her eyes to look into mine. In a deep, earnest voice I said:

"I don't care… I love you, Shinozaki".

That crossed the line.

Shinozaki's eyes got watery and even more dry tears streamed down and flew up to the sky in small, sparkling fragments. She covered her mouth and looked shocked at me. I didn't even smile. I wanted her to take me and my feelings seriously.

"You can't…You just can't love someone like me…", Shinozaki said monotoned. "I can. I want to be with you", I said. She kept looking down on the blue grass and shed a couple of more tears. "What about you, Shinozaki? What do you feel about me?" I asked her, looking into her eyes once more.

Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered and she looked a bit flustered as she stammered out: "I…I…".

She got interrupted as we noticed the golden fragments floating up from the grass like always. We made our gazes follow them as they landed on the golden sky.

"Can you count them?" she asked me. "Not yet", I answered. We smiled at each other through out tears and got closer once more. She wrapped her arms around my back and asked: "Can we see each other again?" "I'll keep coming here. Don't worry about that", I answered. She closed her eyes, smiled and said: "Good". Even though we wanted that moment to last, we still didn't forget the fate that was bound to us.

Seperation for eternity.

 **A/N: Not crying…I'm not crying…Hope u enjoyed this chapter…Plz review and tell me what you think! There are only two chapters left! UNTIL THEN ;3**


	10. Chapter 10 (NEW)

I don't know how long it's been… Several hours, I think. It seemed that we still didn't accept all this. I won't be able to see this world anymore. I won't see Mayu anymore. I won't see…Shinozaki anymore. Oh god, my stomach… I covered my mouth with both hands in reaction to the nausea.

«Yoshiki-kun! Are you okay?» Shinozaki blurted out in surprise, rubbing my back from beside me. «Mm… I just… Ugh, the thought makes me…sick…!» I hissed out after my nausea gradually vanished. «The thought of…us?» she asked. I didn't reply, since I was sure my body language was a clear enough reply. Shinozaki sighed and looked up at the green sky, muttering: «I can't even imagine what mom must be thinking… I don't want to know, to be honest.»

Shinozaki's mother, Asuka… The psycopathic mother that almost killed me that day I tried to convince her to not remove the Andromeda tree. However…. I don't know shit about the «new» Shinozaki. Asuka-san mentioned that Shinozaki was still staying at a hospital because of her amnesia…which I know will never go away. The Shinozaki I know has her lost memories. Before I knew it… I got more and more curious about the other Shinozaki.

«Shinozaki? Um… Do you know which hospital your body is staying at? Y'know, the human Shinozaki?» I asked. «Huh? Why are you asking?» she asked, cocking her head to the side. «Well… I want to meet the other you,» I said. For some reason, I felt embarrased asking that, but she didn't mind. «The hospital that's right by the main building of Holy Sakura,» she said kindly. «Alright… I know I should spend a lot of time with you, but… I want to meet her, if that's okay to you,» I asked, as politely as I could. I just want to talk to her… I want to know how it is to live the way she's living.

«Oh, do as you please… But please, come back to me in the end,» she said, swallowing down her tears. «I will… don't worry,» I said, pulling her in for a strong hug. My heart got stabbed once again when I couldn't feel any kind of warmth coming from her body. It was all…plain. But that doesn't change the way I feel about her. I just want to hold her. Caress her. Love her… Should I…? «Well… I guess I'll be going now…» «Okay. I'll be waiting,» she said and smiled. Gosh… Why does she have to act like this… I gulped at the temptation and eventually gave in:

I took a deep breath, gave her a gentle peck on the cheek before nuzzling my nose gently against her earlobe. She widened her eyes at me, tears welling up in them as she hissed out: «How can you do that…! At a moment like this…» I knitted my eyebrows together in frustration and said: «Shinozaki… I know that I'm just putting salt on the wound in this situation, but… I can't hold it back, y'know. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to hold it back.»

She looked at me, a little shocked at the words that came out between my lips. She seemed frustrated because of my bluntness, but she was patient and kind to me. «Like I said… I'll be waiting,» she said, turning away from me and wrapping her arms around her knees. «I'll see you soon, then,» I said and leaned in closer to her, kissing her cheek again and whispered in her ear: «I love you.»

I heard her letting out a low gasp after I whispered that and a shiver coming from her. I chuckled and went inside the portal to get to the bus-stop as fast as possible .

Since I remembered where Suzumoto-san drove me last night, it was easy for me to find the hospital Shinozaki stayed in. I went to the female receptionist and said: «Excuse me, I'm here to visit Ayumi Shinozaki.» She looked up at me with a sweet smile, handed me a notebook and said: «Ah, I see. Please sign the visitor's book.» Taking the pen she also handed me, I signed it and gave the paper back to her. «Are you an old friend of hers?» she asked. «In a way…» I muttered. «Oh, she'll be pleased to have a visitor. Poor girl's been in a coma for so long and hasn't met anyone outside of her family yet. Plus, her memory loss doesn't really help her in making friends.»

«Yeah… I heard about that. Do you know if her mother is with her?» I asked. She rapidly tapped on the keyboard to the laptop in front of her and said: «No, she left about an hour ago. Sigh, she's so worried for her. I would be lying to myself if I didn't believe that she's partly to blame for her daughter's confusion.» I sighed in relief and asked: «So, where's her room?» She pointed next to her at a hallway and said: «Room 19. You'll find it quickly.» «Thank you,» I said and went down the hallway and looked to the left, only to find a door with a sign saying «19».

Alright… I don't want to surprise her, but she might recognize me. Fuck… Oh well, I should probably knock first. After knocking on the door about three times, I started feeling incredibly nervous. G-Geez, how different is this from talking to the Shinozaki I know?! Well, this Shinozaki doesn't know me. Ugh… I jumped in surprise as I heard a familiar voice from inside the room, saying:

«Come in!»

Okay… It's now or never. I took a deep breath, put my hand on the door-handle and said: «Excuse me.» After I opened the door, my eyes immediately fell on the bed with that familiar silhuette laying on it with the duvet covering her from the waist and down. Her eyes widened as she recognized me and she pulled the duvet over her mouth, whispering: «W-What are you doing here…? Please…Don't hurt me…!»

«I won't. I promise. If I do however, feel free to call for help,» I said, crossing my arms. I really don't want to raise my voice, as she's scared enough as she is. She looked surprised at my quote and lowered the covers, biting her lower lip. «I'm Yoshiki Kishinuma,» I said, reaching my hand towards her. She looked startled but took my hand and said: «I'm Ayumi Shinozaki.» «I know,» I said, laughing at her. She didn't laugh with me, which made the scene so much more awkward. «Um… Why are you here?» she asked. «I'm here to talk to you… Only if you'll let me, of course,» I said. She gulped and said: «Yesterday… Mom told me that she came to your office. She said that you were acting rudely, so…» Ugh, are you kidding me…

«Like I said, I'm not intending to hurt you,» I repeated. She silently nodded, letting me speak. I sat down on the chair next to her bed and said: «First of all… I'm really sorry I acted that way towards you when I saw you that day.» «I guess I understood that you knew me when I had my memories…right?» she asked. I crossed my arms again, not answering her. I would just leave her really confused. «Um, is there anything else?» Shinozaki asked. I nodded and asked:

«Do you really…not remember anything?» She shook her head and said: «I really don't, unfortunately. But, I really…I really want to remember a few things, at least!» «What if your memories were terrible?» I asked. She turned to me and asked: «Do you know of my past?» I bit my lip and hesitantly nodded at her.

«I see… Mom won't tell me how I got my amnesia. She just told me a bit about my family and background…» she answered with a sad look in her eyes. I wonder if I should tell her that I'm technically in love with her… Sigh, I don't know. I might just make her feel guilty and all.

«Apparently… I loved the legend about something called the Andromeda heaven or something…» she muttered. I raised my head and asked: «The Andromeda tree?» «Yeah, that's it! Mom won't tell me any more details though. She gets kinda mad every time I ask her about it…» she said. «Well, that'd because your mother wants to get the Andromeda tree cut down!» I almost yelled out.

«Huh? Um…Okay? It's just one tree. I'm sure she has a good reason why she will, right?» she assumed. I groaned and said: «She doesn't. She just…ugh, it's all because of her selfish wants!» «K-Kishinuma-san….» she mumbled. «You wouldn't understand, Shinozaki…» I explained. That only upset her more. Why did I even come here? This is nothing like talking to the other Shinozaki.

«Kishinuma-san… Were we friends before?» Shinozaki asked. I looked at her and muttered: «It's…kinda complicated.» «Come on, there must be a way to explain it to me! I promise, I won't tell my mother!» she begged. I sighed and nodded, but my mind was a complete mess. Okay…I'll tell her in the most legitemate way possible…

«How should I say this… We didn't know each other for very long, but we did have a bond that most best friends don't have. But your mother doesn't approve of me at all, as you know. You were so full of joy, playfulness, compassion and kindness. Before I knew it, your pure heart drew me in,» I said.

Her cheeks were getting red and she blurted out: «Y-You were in love with me?» I chuckled and bluntly stated: «I still am, to be honest.» «Kishinuma-san… I-I don't know what to say…Um, did I return your feelings?» she asked, still flustered. I shrugged my shoulders and said: «Every time I expressed my feelings, you seemed frustrated. That was to be expected though, based on the situation we were in. We couldn't stay together,» I said, struggling to hold my tears back.

«Why…?» Shinozaki asked. «That's the complicated part. I can't explain it to you without you thinking I'm insane,» I said. «Oh…» she muttered and laid back down on her bed. Oh my god, I can't believe I said all that.

«To not remember my own family even… It's tough…» she breathed out sadly. «It must be,» I said. «When I woke up here…It was like being born. My reflex was to just breathe, even though I didn't know where I came from, where I was or even who I was… I was surrounded by an unfamiliar world…» she whispered. I didn't really know how to reply to that, so I just remained silent.

«Kishinuma-san… You should've seen her. You should've seen my mother when I asked her who she was. I didn't recognize her, no matter how many times I refreshed my mind. She was a complete stranger to me. «Shinozaki…» I whispered, patting her head compassionately. She turned to me, her eyes filled with hot tears when she whimpered out: «Her pupils got this small… I felt like a monster when she started crying… I made her cry, just because I didn't know that she was my mother…!»

She started sobbing and let her tears overflow. «I'm sorry to hear that, Shinozaki…» I whispered gently hugging her. «Kishinuma-san…» she whispered, resting her hands on my shoulders. Even though this wasn't the real Shinozaki I adored… I still felt a connection with her. And now, I could even feel warmth as I embraced her….Even though this wasn't the real Shinozaki I adored. I kept comforting her until the sun started going down, which meant that I really had to get to Shinozaki fast.

«Kishinuma-kun… Can you come here again sometime…?» she asked, just as I was going to leave. I smiled at her and muttered: «We'll see…» She closed her eyes and smiled pleasently. «Goodbye then…Kishinuma-san,» she whispered, allowing me to leave.

«Shinozaki! I'm back! I'm so sorry for arriving so late!» I yelled out, panicked that the sun was going down by the time I got to the Andromeda tree.

 _Yoshiki-kun…_

«Shinozaki…I'm so…so sorry…» I whispered.

 _Yoshiki-kun…You big dummy…_

The process to the barrier and out of it…It all seemed like a dream or a daze that I woke up from when I felt Shinozaki's arms around me. Almost like I could only remember when I was by the tree and teleported into Shinozaki's arms.

«Yoshiki-kun… You idiot!» Shinozaki yelled, burying her face in my chest. «Shinozaki…I didn't mean to…» I said, stroking her back. Yes… This is the real Shinozaki. «I told you, didn't I…It's so lonely here without you! And when you told me… _that_ before leaving, how could I possibly let you go!?» she shouted. «I'm here now… I won't leave you for now…» I whispered, comforting her. «Good…» she whimpered out, not letting me go as she embraced me so tightly.

I…I can't even imagine a life without Shinozaki now.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here's chapter 11… I have nothing to say really, so PLZ ENJOY ;3**

 _The sky in the Seventh heaven had shattered into a million pieces once again, just like yesterday. Is this some kind of continuation? I looked around, trying to dodge away from the pieces of sharp glass that were falling down from the sky while looking for her. For Shinozaki. Her pureness was gone for some reason. Her pureness darkened. Her joy darkened. Her love and kindness turned into regret and despair. But…She didn't deserve it. It wasn't our fault! She can't help it if she wants me to stay, yet…! Apparently no one wants us to stay together! «Shinozaki! Don't…Don't let our fate let you down!» I yelled. She was hiding from me somewhere. I knew this was a dream. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to run for this long without getting tired._

 _«Yo…shiki…» I heard a shivering voice from somewhere. I couldn't tell which direction, but I knew that she was close. «Shinozaki… Please tell me! Do you really regret meeting me?» I asked. I heard her whimper in reply. «Shinozaki… I don't care if you're not pure. I don't care if you have been dirtied by these ugly thoughts and actions. I don't care…if you're not all white… All I care about is…» I turned to the tiny girl with the black dress who stood many meters behind me, tears pouring down. I smiled at her, turned to her and said: «…That you're still Ayumi Shinozaki. I mean… Even if you're not a real angel… You're an angel in my eyes.»_

 _«Yoshiki-kun… So… Do you want to stay with me…even if my dress is unclean?» she asked. «Of course… I won't ever leave you,» I whispered, reaching out my arms. «Yoshiki-kun…!» Shinozaki whimpered out and ran towards me like a little girl and threw herself into my arms. «Yoshiki-kun…! Yoshiki-kun…!» she said, over and over again. «I'm not exactly the most innocent 17 year old either, y'know…» I said, stroking her long hair. «Oh, I don't care about that…! I like you, just the way you are…!» she whispered. «Shinozaki…» I breathed out, tightly closing my eyes. The world around us was crumbling. We both knew that, but if we were going to die… We at least died together. That would make me so much more happier, knowing that I didn't let go of her, even in the end…_

…

I only wake up in tears after a nightmare… Though I rarely talk about my dreams to any other person. Especially not when that dream made me cry in my sleep. That would've been…ugh, so embarrasing…! Oh no… It's that day today, isn't it… Fuck. It's been a week already.

Why does it have to be Friday?! And it's only 6 AM! Put yourself together! You're doing this for Shinozaki! Today, I was more depressed than ever. The last week, I've been with Shinozaki 24/7. We decided to make the most out of our last week together. Our last week together…

No, I can't be crying now! I promised her yesterday…

…

 _"Yoshiki-kun", she said. "What?" I asked her. "Promise me one thing…", she requested. "What is it?" I asked again. She took my hand and stared at me. "Please, don't cry the day I'll disappear. You know that it will happen, so don't act like it was a surprise. I don't want you to be in pain because of me", she said. "Shinozaki…", I whispered. She said that, but she's on the edge of tearing up herself. "If that's what you want…", I said. She smiled pleasantly and said: "Thank you"._

…

Oh…should I bring my camera? I guess it wouldn't be weird to take a picture of her, but… Yeah, it would be weird to do that in the middle of a tearful farewell. I can't believe this will be the last time I'll see her…I have to hurry! The deconstruction team will be there at 7 AM to cut it down, so I have to be there in a few minutes if I want to have a proper farewell with her. I quietly put on my shoes, slowly opened the door and went outside. The sky was completely blue with some purple, orange and pink clouds floating around in the sky and by the sunrise. That heavenly hint of a blueish color at some spots on the sky, reminded me of Shinozaki's eyes. I smiled at the image of her smiling at me and yelling out my name. _Yoshiki-kuuuun! Waaaaait!_

Don't worry, Shinozaki. If it makes you happier, then I won't cry today.

…

I felt a lump in my throat as I touched the bark of the Andromeda tree. _Ayumi Shinozaki._ I ran my fingers over the name, the lump getting bigger, making it tough to swallow down my tears. This will be gone in about half an hour…The place I spent most of my teenager days at will be gone. No…I can't make myself carry more pain on my shoulder. Shinozaki was right. I really do hurt myself. "Shinozaki. It's me," I said.

 _Hi Yoshiki-kun….Let's not waste any time._

I nodded and went into the Seventh heaven with her.

…

Blue. Heavenly blue. Once again, the sky was blue and sparkly. For the first time, Shinozaki wasn't holding my hand after we went through the barrier. She went a bit ahead of me, with her back turned to me. I reached out my hand and yelled: "Shinozaki!" She didn't answer, but she stopped when she reached the rainbow river by the waterfall. She let her feet rest inside the water and turned around, letting her gentle gaze meet mine. Panicked, I ran after her the fastest I could.

When I got to her, she giggled at my exhausted face and panting. "Why the rush? I won't disappear," she said and giggled. Yes, you will… Stop trying to make the situation seem brighter. "Come here," she said. I took off my shoes and joined her. We silently stared at the water lilies, floating at the surface without saying a thing to each other. "Yoshiki-kun," Shinozaki suddenly said. "Yes?" I asked. She smiled a bit and said in a low voice:

"I had a lot I wanted to say to you, but…As soon as I saw your face, none of it mattered anymore".

I smiled and patted her head. "Are you sure? Is there nothing you want to say to me?" I asked her. "No, I don't think so", she answered. "Okay then", I said and looked up at the sky. She did the same thing as me. Even though we both knew that this would be our last day together, we're not really doing anything special. We're not even crying… not even crying.

"So…this is the end of me, isn't it? Like… I'm dying for real this time, maybe?" Shinozaki suddenly stated. I widened my eyes. Where did that come from?! Aren't we supposed not to talk about our fate today?! We were supposed to just act normally, only focusing about our time together, yet she comes here and talks about what will happen to her?!

"Who knows, maybe heaven is even more magical than the Seventh heaven?" she said and smiled. I sighed and asked: "Do you think it'll be just as beautiful?" "I'm sure it will", she said. If only I could see it with her…That would be wonderful.

"Yoshiki-kun… Forget what I said one week ago", Shinozaki whispered. "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked her. She looked into my eyes with slightly shaking lips and said: "I…I don't want you to forget me…".

What…? "But you said…", I mumbled. "I told you, forget what I said!" she yelled out. She looked at her feet and buried her face into her knees. "I told you that…because I didn't want you to remember our separation in the future. I guess I've become a bit selfish, haven't I?" she said and laughed sarcastically.

"But won't it be easier if I don't remember you? It'll be…less painful for the two of us, won't it?" I asked her. She knitted her eyebrows together in frustration and screamed: "REMEMBER ME!"

I jumped back, terrified. She panted and whispered: "Please… just please. When I'm gone, I want at least that our experiences together will last in your mind, as joyful memories. You're the most important thing I have, Yoshiki-kun and if I was human, then we could…we could…". "Stay together?" I asked. She nodded. "I don't know where I'll end up. I don't know if I'll remember anything, but…". She took a deep breath and told me:

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Yoshiki-kun!"

I thought my heart would stop beating at that instant. I can't hold it… I put my hand under Shinozaki's chin and lifted her face up. I opened my mouth in surprise.

She was crying.

Shinozaki was crying. She's still scared, isn't she? I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and wiped away her tears with my fingertips, making them break up into a million, glowing golden fragments, disappearing into the air. "Ah…!" she blurted out as she saw that I noticed her crying. She wiped away the rest of them and said: "I really am no good, am I? Crying when I told you not to…It's so embarrassing. Why am I even scared…? Scared of losing you…It's pathetic…".

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her petite body, pulling her closer to my body. "It's okay. Crying shouldn't be a sin, unless you're faking it", I said. She looked angry and yelled: "FAKING IT?!" I jumped back a bit. She continued:

"Why in the world would I be faking it?! After everything I said to you, how can you say something like that?! Is it just that I'm not earnest enough?! Do you want me to express myself more?! Well, guess what?! I…I…! …Oh".

I stopped her words by hugging her extremely tightly. "You don't need to say it. You've been honest enough as it is", I said and patted her back. She was quiet for a while, until she held me tighter and started sobbing into my shoulder. I had to smile at her being honest with herself, but I couldn't really laugh during a situation like this.

"Didn't you say that we would both be ready for this day?" I asked her gently. She raised up her face and yelled out in frustration and anger: "Well, I'm not! I don't want to leave you! I just…". I wasn't even in the mood for joking. I didn't want to leave her either. I want to keep holding her and maybe even feel her human warmth…Why didn't I meet her when she was human?! Just why?! I guess the saying is true.

There's someone there for all of us.

We held each other tightly for a bit more as we cried a little. I thought I was prepared for this as well, but…it's hard to accept that you're going to get separated from the person who's so important to you. It's heart wrenching… It really is. Shinozaki rubbed her hands all over my back and mumbled: "What a broad back…". I slid my hands over her arms and buried my face into her hair, taking in her scent.

"Yoshiki-kun…", Shinozaki whispered. "Yes?" I asked. She was quiet for a few minutes, hesitating. Is it something she can't tell me? "What is it? You can ask me anything", I said to reassure her. She whimpered and asked in a shaky voice:

"Liking someone you can't be with…it's not a sin, right?"

My heart skipped a beat as she asked me that. Is she…talking about me? "What…do you mean…? I asked. "Just answer me, please", she said embarrassed, lowering her face to the ground. I coughed and answered: "Well…it's not completely taboo. As long as you try your hardest to capture the person's attention and show him, or her that you're interested in having a relationship with that person, then…". Gosh, this was so cliche. Telling her all this… "I see", she whispered. She moved away from me and put her hands on my shoulders, gripping them tightly.

"Do I really have to say it?" she asked. I smirked and said: "It would be much appreciated". "But it's so embarrassing…", she mumbled. "Please…as my goodbye present", I begged her. "Fine…", she said and took a deep breath. She looked into my eyes and whispered:

"I love you…".

My heart got filled with several emotions as she said those three words I've been wanting to hear from her for a long time. Those times she rejected me expressing my feelings were all forgotten in both my mind, and her's. Shinozaki…she loves just rolled out of her tongue like a song. "Say it again…", I begged, shedding a few tears of happiness. She looked at me, straight into my eyes and said:

"I love you".

I laughed in happiness and moved my face closer to hers. "One more time…please…", I whispered out breathlessly. Her eyes were half-lidded and drowsy as she whispered:

"I love you...Yoshiki…".

She clung onto my chest as I could feel that dizzy feeling of her breath on my lips. I closed my eyes and wrapped my hands around her hips, gently rubbing them. I want to feel her…at least this once…

Just as she moved a bit closer, our lips melted together in a tear drenched kiss.

She shyly moved along mine and wrapped her arms around my neck. I'm so happy…I could just die right now, and I wouldn't mind. I didn't really care how I kissed her. Just simply being intimate with her in this way… Just intensifies my feelings for her so much more. The sensual sound of our lips disconnecting echoed through the whole Seventh heaven. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Shinozaki's lips were heavily shaking. I looked into her eyes and said: "I wouldn't mind if the world ended now. I love you, and not even fate can change that". She clung onto my back a bit more powerfully as I said that.

"I'll miss you, Yoshiki", Shinozaki said as she let go of me. "I'll miss you too, Ayumi", I said without thinking. I covered my mouth in embarrassment as I realized what I just said. Ayumi's eyes widened and she covered her mouth too. "I…uh, I….", I stammered out.

"Yoshiki…finally you called me by my first name…", she said in a shaky voice. She closed her eyes, shedding a few more tears. "I…heh, I guess I did…", I said shyly. We both rose up from the grass. When we did, Ayumi immediately pulled me in for another hug. "I'm glad…I'm just so glad…!" she sobbed out.

Before I knew it, it was already ten minutes until the Andromeda tree was going to get cut down. I don't want to say this, but…I have to. "It's time to say goodbye…", I said. Ayumi nodded and led me by the hand to the way out. She looked at me one more time.

"I don't want this…This is too cruel…!" she whimpered out. "Ayumi…", I whispered and lifted up her face. I pushed up her bangs a bit and kissed her forehead. We pulled in for one last embrace, filled with tears and sobs.

"I'll never forget you…I'll never forget…", I whispered in between sobs. "I'll never forget you either, Yoshiki", she whimpered out and hugged me even harder. While holding her hands, I requested: «Um… Say goodbye to Suzumoto from me, and…» I smiled and muttered: «Tell her that her dad really misses her…» «I will…!» Ayumi said, smiling through her tears, I want to stay like this forever, but… "The longer you stay here, the more painfully it will be", Ayumi said. I nodded and let go of her.

I turned to the portal that led to the Andromeda tree with shaky hands. I gave Ayumi one last look, before I said: "Goodbye, Ayumi". Ayumi smiled through her tears and said: "Goodbye, Yoshiki". If I keep looking at her I won't get anywhere. But there's still one more thing.

«Oh, Ayumi?!» I asked. «Yeah?» she said. I turned around to look at her one more time and said: «I'll do anything I can to count the stars. I promise.» Ayumi's eyes widened and she was struggling to keep a new stream of tears from shedding at my promise «Oh, Yoshiki…» she whispered, wiping her eyes and cheeks. This is it… I held my breath, closed my eyes and jumped into the portal without looking back.

 _Hey, Ayumi…_

 _Fate is a mysterious thing, right?_

 _Even though you pray for a good future, there's still no guarantee that you'll get one._

 _Yet, for others fate is kinder than anything else._

 _Fate is mysterious._

 _And unfair._

 _I waited almost an eternity to meet someone like you._

 _When I did, I didn't realize that you were just the thing I needed to experience true happiness._

 _By that tree, with several names carved on it,_

 _I met you._

 _The girl of my dreams._

 _But fate ruined it._

 _Even though we cried for each other,_

 _Fate didn't help us in any way._

 _Your tears were dry,_

 _Mine were wet._

 _But still,_

 _Even though we both wished to stay together a bit longer,_

 _I didn't regret meeting you._

 _I love you, Ayumi._

…

Was that really the last time I saw Yoshiki…? N-No… Yoshiki! I covered my mouth, extremely saddened by the fact. All of this happened… Just because I went out in the streets that night…! Why didn't I meet Yoshiki before all this… Just why?!

I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. It's so pretty… Just like the day I first brought Yoshiki here… This…This is the end of me.

«Ayumi-chan!» I heard from beside me. I turned to that same direction, only to see Mayu, wearing a terrified expression on her face. «Mayu!» I yelled. «What's happening?! The entire Seventh heaven is shaking and I saw some souls breaking into a million pieces, just like our dry tears! I'm so scared… I don't know what's going on!» she shouted, completely panicked. Right, I still haven't told her… Oh god, I'm the worst…

«Mayu… I think we'll die right now,» I told her, straight to the point. Her eyes widened and she blurted out: «W-What do you mean?! Souls can't die!» I sighed and grabbed her hand. «You wanted to be free from this heavenly prison right?» I asked her. «Well…yeah, but… Yeah, I do,» Mayu admitted. «I'm sure you will now… Trust me,» I said and smiled at her, struggling not to cry. «Ayumi-chan…What about Yoshiki-kun? Why would you let him go like that?!» she asked in an angry tone. «Because….» I had to shed a tear as I turned to her and whispered:

«I love him too much… I don't want to let him disappear with me when he's human…»

«Ayumi-chan… Goddammit, you…» Mayu groaned out and sighed. Suddenly, the ground once again started shaking, like a massive earthquake. «W-Woah!» we both yelled out. From afar, I could see a soul just breaking up in a million sparkling fragments, just like Mayu had told me. But the soul, who was a male…he was smiling before he vanished.

«Mayu… We'll finally be free…» I whispered tightly clenching her hand in mine. «Yeah… I hope I can see my parents again,» she said. Ah, I have to tell her! But just as I saw going to say it, the ground started shaking again. W-Woah… I feel so weak…

«Mayu?» I said. «Yeah?» she replied. Just as the sky above us started breaking, I told her: «Your dad really wants to see you.» She smiled through her tears and whispered: «I know…» I'm getting really weak, so… I guess it's time.

«Mayu… Thank you so much for the times we spent together… No matter where I end up, I'll never forget you!» I said. «Ayumi-chan…I won't forget you either! Never ever!» she yelled out, her lips shaking. I was going to call out to her one more time, before I noticed that her feet gradually grew transparent and the remains turning into sparkling fragments. Oh no…

«Mayu!» I yelled out, trying to grasp her arms. She shook her head and said: «You have to let go of me sometime, Ayumi-chan… Just like you had to let go of Yoshiki. That's how the world works… Nothing ever lasts forever, but…» She pointed at my dress and said: «Do you still have it? The thing I gave you?» Right…

 _The crystal from the crystal mountain…_

Just as I was going to reply, I realized that only a part of her face was remaining now. «Mayu!» I yelled out. I tried to grab her again, but this time, my hands just went through her… Like a ghost. «Dummy…You're vanishing too, Ayumi-chan…» she muttered. «Mayu… Please, be happy,» I whispered, facing the ground.

«I… definitely will….»

«Mayu?»

Along with the Seventh heaven, I immediately crumbled to the ground when I couldn't see Mayu anymore. I'm all alone now… I'm scared… Where am I going?! Where will I end up?! Who's going to help me?!

«Mayu…Yoshiki…! Someone…Please….»

The Seventh heaven was crumbling around us… We were gone… I closed my eyes, feeling myself turn into air. That's what it felt like, at least… My body drifted around in the shape of air.

 _I'm finally free…_

 _I've finally truly let go of the past._

 _I've learned to love someone._

 _Yoshiki… I'll miss you forever._

 _Please don't forget what we had together._

 _Yoshiki… I love you._

…

Just as I felt the fresh air hit my face, I realized what had happened. I saw the truck with the deconstruction company's logo painted on the side. I'm losing her… I'm losing Ayumi!

In despair, I fell down on my knees and covered my face with my hands. I can't take this anymore! I just can't! It hurts…It hurts Ayumi! I sobbed into my hands as I thought about her smiling face, always greeting me with that lovely voice of hers.

 _Yoshiki-kun! What have you brought today?_

My favourite? Do you even remember what my favourite sweet is?

 _Yay! I can't wait to eat them with you!_

Even the sound of her voice, is only a faint memory now… I rose up my tear drenched face to the sky, watching the pretty colors. Ayumi…

 _"AYUMIIIIII!" I yelled out while sobbing._

I couldn't watch, as the Andromeda tree was brutally cut down by those men.

 **A/N: ;_; I'm a horrible person for doing this to my otp… and Mayu. There's only one chapter left! ONE CHAPTER! What are your thoughts about this story so far? PLZ TELL ME BY REVIEWING, I really appreciate it! UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Waaaaaah, last chapter ;_; Thank you so much for 8 reviews! They really motivate me to do the best that I can! Anyways, PLZ ENJOY THE FINAL CHAPTER OF STARCOUNTER! ;3**

Final Chapter

 _A heavenly blue sky. Grass painted with a shade of emerald-green. With several flowers and butterflies flying all over the place, a girl with dark-blue hair tied into two twin-tails flowing in the light breeze caught my gaze. She wore a light-yellow top under a pink jacket, a purple-checkered short skirt with black knee socks and white shoes. She had her back to me and her hands were folded together and hidden behind her back. I gulped and walked a bit closer to her. As if she could feel my presence, she turned her head. With sparkling blue eyes and a shimmering smile, she almost took my breath away by simply giggling. "Finally you came!" she said and giggled again. She looked at the huge bead of grass and asked me: "Can you count them?"_

 _I miss her…I miss her so much…_

As I opened my eyes, I noticed that my whole pillow and face was drenched in tears. I cried myself to sleep again…even though it's already been a week. I wiped away the tear stains and rose up from my bed to dress myself.

This week has been…unbelievably difficult. We were learning about ancient Greek mythology and the princess Andromeda. Everyone, including the teacher got extremely shocked when they saw that I was crying during every lesson about that. And sometimes, when me and my family ate dinner, I would suddenly start thinking about Ayumi, and I would immediately burst into tears. I cried even more when I remembered that I forgot to take a picture of her. They always asked me if anything was wrong, but I always denied it. They wouldn't understand.

But that wasn't the weirdest part.

" _Can you count them?"_ The question she asked me several times, rang in my head every time I thought about her. So…Every night, I would look out of the window or sometimes even sneak out, just to count the stars. Not surprisingly, I failed every time. There's just so many…

"Good morning!" Miki said from the kitchen. "Ah…Good morning", I said and opened the fridge. I took out some milk and cereal, poured them in a bowl and started eating after I sat down at the table next to Miki.

We ate in silence until I asked: "Where's mom and dad?" "Probably working", she answered. I nodded and continued eating. Suddenly, Miki asked: "Don't you think it's weird? All of sudden, the Andromeda tree was cut down! People say it's because children fall down when they climb it, but I haven't seen many kids climbing it. Not even Asuka Shinozaki has given a proper explanation".

Because of those painful memories, I dropped my spoon on the table. "Onii-san, are you alright?" Miki asked. I didn't get the meaning of what she was asking me. The thoughts and images were spinning round and round in my mind. Without realizing it, a couple of tears streamed down from the corners of my eyes.

"Onii-san…", Miki mumbled and looked at me with worried eyes. I didn't answer. I just wiped them away and went back to eat. After a couple of minutes, Miki gripped my chin and forced her stare into my mind. "M-miki…!" I said panicked. "Listen. You can't keep running away from your problems", she said. "Wh-whaaa? What are you talking about?" I asked her. She sighed and said:

"I get that there's something that's been causing you pain and guilt the past week, but you can't tell me or anyone else, because…I dunno, it's some kind of law. I won't force it out of you anyway, but if something's troubling you, you have to face that problem. Face it and show it that you've accepted the truth".

After hearing Miki's words of wisdom, it all came clear to me now. My mind felt a bit lighter than before. Now, I know what to do! To get rid of all of the guilt, I have to face my own problems. It won't get any better if I keep running away! I rose up from the chair and ran to the hallway.

"Onii-san, where are you going?!" Miki yelled. "I'm going out to face my problems, just like you told me to!" I yelled after putting on my shoes. "But what about your cereal?!" she asked. "Fuck cereal! I'm going out!" I yelled before going outside and running to the Andromeda tree.

 ***BY THE ANDROMEDA TREE***

The feeling I got one week ago, came back as I looked at what was left of the Andromeda tree. Just a plain, short stump sticking up from the ground. Just simply looking at it, made my stomach feel like it was being ripped apart. I pressed my lips together. Yoshiki…you know what you have to do. I clenched my fists together and said:

"Ayumi. It's me Yoshiki. I don't know if you can hear me, but…" I stopped for a moment and let the image of her sink in. I coughed and continued:

"It's been weird this week. Even in the most boring, random, and exciting moments, I would suddenly start thinking about you. And when I do…I start crying, even though you didn't want me to. It's…kind of painful to be honest".

Gosh, what the fuck am I doing? There's no way she can hear me! Just because I saw her in my dream and thought that she maybe was calling me out here, I can't just act like some kind of medium! This is stupid...but satisfying in a weird way. I continued:

"I really miss you, just know that. From now on, there won't be a day where I won't think about you, what you mean to me and the intimate things we did together. And if we could, then I would do anything to make sure that you would be mine, and only mine".

I didn't bother if anyone else saw me crying right now. These tears are a symbol of how much I love Ayumi, and I'm damn proud of it. I didn't even wipe them away, like I normally would. I chuckled in a shaky voice and said:

"Sorry…I try every night, but I still can't count the stars. It's hard….Really hard…".

I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands. I don't want to be in the real world right now. I just want to disappear to somewhere. In that place, nothing bad or sad existed. The Seventh heaven…

" _It hurts less when you close your eyes. Haven't you noticed? When you close your eyes, you always end up in your own little world. It's a human way to escape reality. That's how you humans dream when you sleep"._

Yeah…she said that. Ayumi said that. I tightly pressed my eyes together and clutched the grass below me. "Oh, Ayumi…", I mumbled. If only I could hear her voice right now…Then I could experience true happiness…

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"What? You still haven't counted the stars? I'm disappointed in you, Yoshiki".

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This can't be…! If it is, then…! That voice I heard…It's an angel…It's an angel, right?! RIGHT?! I turned around, only to witness a sight that almost gave me a heart attack with joy.

A heavenly blue sky. Grass painted with a shade of emerald-green. With several flowers and butterflies flying all over the place, a girl with dark-blue hair tied into two twin-tails flowing in the light breeze caught my gaze. She wore a light-yellow top under a pink jacket, a purple-checkered short skirt with black knee socks and white shoes. She had her back to me and her hands were folded together and hidden behind her back. I gulped and walked a bit closer to her. As if she could feel my presence, she turned her head. With sparkling blue eyes and a shimmering smile, she almost took my breath away by simply giggling.

The smiling Ayumi Shinozaki.

"Ayumi…", I whispered out, shedding more and more tears. She didn't answer. She just smiled with red cheeks and tears building up at the corners of her eyes. She…She's blushing…My body had a mind of its own as I ran up to her and pulled her in for a strong embrace. I sobbed into her neck as she wrapped her warms arms around my back. Finally…I can feel her body warmth… And her neck has a pulse now...!

"How…?! Just how?!" I asked. She giggled and said: "My body wasn't dead. Since I'm no longer connected with the Andromeda tree, it's only natural that my soul would go back to where it originally belongs, right? It's pathetic…I thought I would disappear like the other souls!" I hugged her even tighter.

"You're so warm… I could hold you like this forever", I whispered out of breath. She cupped my cheek and looked at me with bleary eyes. "It feels incredibly good to have a body again. Just as I saw you, my heart started beating so fast…", she said, shedding a few tears. I smiled and wiped them away with my fingers. This time, they were wet.

"Can…can I listen?" I asked. She nodded and moved my face to her left breast. She was right. She had a heart…a beating heart. It was like music in my ears. A song that I would never get tired of.

"When did you…you know…" I asked. "Right after the tree got cut down, the world disappeared and the souls with dead bodies just disappeared into the air too. I however somehow fell unconscious. When I woke up, I was back in my own body. I cried hysterically in joy and cried even more when I saw mom, dad and my sister again. Mom apparently got her sanity back when I told her that I got my memories back. All of the doctors got really surprised at my sudden recovery, so they took multiple tests every single day until now. I wanted to visit the tree", she said.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't. I just got out of the hospital, and I felt like coming here. I got so surprised and happy when I saw you and I wanted to immediately hug and kiss you, but…." She smiled shyly and said: "You said all those things to me…I was so happy. I didn't know that you felt that strongly about me, but it made me so happy!"

I smiled, patted her head and pulled her in for another embrace. "I can't believe it…I can't believe I got to meet you again…and as a human on top of that!" I said and laughed in joy. "Yeah. But now we'll always be together! Right, my little Starcounter?" she said and gigged. "Starcounter?!" I repeated surprised and embarrassed. "It's a cute nickname, don't you think? And it fits!" she said and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Geez…", I mumbled and sat down on the grass with her in my arms. She blushed and smiled at me as I said: "Yes, we'll always be together from now on". This is really embarrassing, but I'm happy…

"Hey…can you say it again?" I asked her teasingly. Her eyes widened and her cheeks got extremely red. I can't get over how cute she is! "I love you…", she said after a few minutes. My cheeks heated up and I smiled in happiness. "I love you too, Ayumi…", I said and kissed her forehead. She smiled and whispered: "Thank you…"

As the light breeze hit her hair, making it flow in front of me, I moved my face closer and closer to her. She moved closer to me as well with half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. And then…

…our lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

I didn't only feel her amazing softness, but I could also feel her warmth this time. But that wasn't the main difference between our kiss now and the last one we had. This time, we weren't carrying any sorrow, but happiness.

Ayumi. I don't know when, but one day I'll be able to count the stars.

Because…I am your Starcounter.

 **THE END**

 **A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS FANFIC! A happy ending at last :) So, what are your final thoughts on StarCounter? What did you like? What didn't you like? Go ahead and leave a review telling me! If you liked this story, but want something with less drama, less fantasy and more slice-of-life and more humor? Then, go ahead and check out my series "A Little Pain"! I've finished two sequels and the next and last sequel will come out in not too long! So, this is it…for now hehe…UNTIL NEXT TIME ;3**

 **Senpai's Boo is out ;3**


	13. The Aftermath

**A/N: I'm back! XD I felt a bit bad for ending StarCounter like that, so this is an aftermath, one-shot thingy (I MADE THIS FOR YOU INFINITY! jk XDDDD)… And it's divided into three parts (All of the parts are in this chapter, so don't expect a chapter two or three XD)! Anyways, plz review and tell me your thoughts after you've read this! On with the story! PLZ ENJOY ;3**

Starcounter; The Aftermath

 _If you had a fragment,_

 _with magic and miracles within its sparkling reflections,_

 _giving you an opportunity_

 _to either give a life,_

 _or take a life…_

 _What would you choose?_

 _Giving a life; Giving an unfortunate soul to the opportunity to live once again. To feel human and be human._

 _Taking a life; Ending the life of an unfortunate soul, letting the soul live freely in a world with no pain, no despair and no suffering from its past mistakes and memories, surrounded in darkness._

 _They may sound very different, but they are similar. In what way, you ask?_

 _Both choices, end with one world losing a soul._

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 **PART I**

 **Sad Little Woodpecker**

Though, I'd rather just stand here, listening to her hitting the piano notes perfectly as they harmonized into the song she was playing, we had plans today that we both had to do. I leaned against the side of the door to her room and kept listening as she hummed while playing:

 _Warusa, bakari no uddopekka (One mischievous little woodpecker, another day pecking your holes)_

 _Kyomon, anake (Ruining the woods, tree wrecker)_

 _Moriboro, darage okotta uddo God kuchibashi wo doku ni kaeta (The angry old forest god, turned your poor beak into a poison knife)_

 _Komatta uddopekka, suu ana ga doku ni, gohan, mo doku ni (Your nesting holes are all tainted, your food with toxins rife)_

 _Tomodachi ni furereba shinubakari (Touch your friends, and they will all die falling at your feet)_

 _Kanashinda uddopekka (Oh, sad little woodpecker)_

 _Doku no namida ga kira kira hikaru (Poisonous tears, shining brightly, as they stream down your cheeks)_

 **SONG: Shiro's Woodpecker song (ANIME: Deadman Wonderland)**

As she sung the last word, I knocked on the door, waiting for her reply. I could hear her whimper from inside and sobbing a bit. She's such a softie…Or maybe it's just the song's fault. But why would she keep palying it if it makes her react like this…?

It had been about 3 weeks since my reunion with her, and now we were both enjoying life as boyfriend and girlfriend. She would often refer to us as lovers, but I would kinda deny it in embarrassment. Maybe if we weren't living in the modern area, I would have called her my lover…Satoshi would've kept teasing me though…that bastard. After hearing the gentle footsteps getting closer, I straightened up my back and coughed to clear up my voice as she fully opened the door.

With tears in her eyes and flushed cheeks, Ayumi looked up at me and smiled a bit. She quickly wiped away her tears using her slim wrists and said: «S-sorry! It's just…I always get like this after playing such a sad song…» I smiled, rubbed her head and asked: «Can't you play any cheerful songs every once in a while?» She sighed and answered: «I can, but they don't sound as passionate as the woodpecker song». I nodded. It was sad, but very deep and sometimes did bring a few manly tears to my eyes.

«I still feel a bit fancy coming to your house», I admitted bashfully while chuckling. For real, her house had three floors and was pretty huge. It's not like Asuka-san is a persident or anything, but apparently she makes enough money of her company to live so luxurious. Ayumi even had a huge telescope and a piano in her room!

She giggled and said: «You shouldn't! It's not like I'm trying to show off…» «I know that, dummy. If you were, I would've dumped you right away», I said and knocked her on the forehead. She widened her eyes and yelled: «Don't say that!» «Juuuust kidding», I said and wrapped my arms around her waist. She embraced me back, sobbing again. «I don't want you to joke about that…after we almost lost each other…!» she whimpered. «Ayumi…» I whispered and wiped away her small tears with the tip of my index finger.

«I'm sorry…I don't want to experience that feeling ever again…the feeling of loosing you…», I said and neared my face to hers, lowering my eyes. Just before our lips met, she whispered:

«Me neither…».

I could feel her clutching her hands into my back as I kissed her gently. It was a long kiss, but very gentle and powerless, but still somehow passionate. As our lips disconnected, I embraced her tightly and said: «I love you…» «I love you too…», she whispered back. In pure happiness, I couldn't help but to hug her even tighter and laughing a little. If only this could last forever…

 ***TUESDAY (THE NEXT DAY) AFTER SCHOOL***

«God, why does detentions even exist?!» Satoshi groaned out as we finally were let out of the classroom, 15 minutes after the others. «They exist to remind you why you should sleep early», I answered. «Did I ask why?!» Satoshi yelled. «Yeah, dumbass», I replied. He cussed under his breath before walking ahead of me to the school porch.

«You're going with Nakashima again, aren't you?» I asked. He nodded. «It's my job, isn't it?» he said proudly. «Dude, you're her boyfriend not her bodyguard», I said. «Are you saying I shouldn't worry about her?!» he asked. I shook my head. «I'm just saying, you shouldn't smile for her if she has lips already, if you know what I mean». Okay, that was just cheesy. I just heard Ayumi say that riddle one time I ate dinner at her place. Her mom wanted to wipe Ayumi's face, but she replied with that sentence. When I think about it calmly, Ayumi is a very classy girl. That's kinda attractive, to be honest.

«I guess I do...», Satoshi mumbled right before he waved to the silhuette belonging to Nakashima, standing by the school porch with another very familar silhuette next to her. «Oiiiii! Naomi!» he yelled at her while smiling and waving. «Hi Satoshi!» Nakashima yelled back and smiled. Me on the other hand, had my eyes on the person next to her. It didn't even take a second for me to recognize those long, dark-blue locks resting on the tiny girl's shoulders. Ayumi's eyes widened in joy as she noticed me and ran to me while smiling.

«Yoshiki! There you are! I was waiting for you!» she said as she got close enough for me to hear her. Both Satoshi and Nakashima looked very surprised at the beautiful girl who approached me so suddenly, and looked at her with slightly widened eyes. Judging by Satoshi's face, his expectations were a lot lower than what my girlfriend actually looked like. Is that…drool on his lips…?

«Hey…you didn't need to come here…», I said. She sadly looked at me and asked: «Does that mean that you didn't want me to meet you here…? Even though we go to different schools, we can still walk together!» «Woah, calm down! I didn't say that I didn't want you to come. Honestly…I'm really happy that you came to meet me…», I said embarrassed. Gosh, their fucking smirks and giggles are totally killing the mood right now…!

«I see! I'm glad! Would you like to come to my place? I'll play a new song and it's not as sad as the one about the woodpecker!» she offered. «Sure, if your mother doesn't mind», I said and chuckled. «Don't worry about her! I'm sure she doesn't mind having you over, even after everything that has happened», she reassured me as we walked ahead of Satoshi and Nakashima.

«So that's Kishinuma-kun's girlfriend? Wow…» I could hear Nakashima whisper to Satoshi from behind. «Yeah…She's pr- I mean, you're more! Um, well…», Satoshi mumbled. «No, I get what you mean. I rarely see any models with as pretty eyes and as fair skin as hers. I didn't even see any pimples on her face…!» Nakashima said a little shocked. Their reactions amused me to the very core. I bet they didn't expect someone like Ayumi. She's stunningly beautiful, it's as simple as that.

While walking, out of nowhere I started thinking about Ayumi's mother, Asuka. I knew her as a psycho, considering she almost killed me when I talked about her daughter's memory loss…I don't mean that she overreacted, but…her memory had been gone for over a year and she should get over it during that time and just face her «new» daughter. Could it be…that there's something more to the story…?

«Eh? Yoshiki, is something the matter?» Ayumi asked, noticing my dazed expression. «A-ah, no…I was just thinking about Asuka-san…», I said bluntly. She raised an eyebrow and repeated: «Mom? Why?» «I'm just wondering how she is, really», I answered. Ayumi sighed and said:

«Well…I can't really say that she has fully recovered from her mental illness. She's even more over proctective now than ever and I often notice her fidgeting and her whole body shaking by just listening to the sound of wheels, for some reason. And sometimes, at night…I hear her messing around in the bathroom and hysterically crying for no reason. I feel weak for not helping her at times, but every time I offer her any, she refuses and states that she's perfectly fine. Yet, she's sane enough to take care of me, my sister and dad. No matter what happens, she's still a loving mother and I love her».

«Yeah…I don't think it's possible to hate someone who has raised you with love and affection», I said. Ayumi nodded and stopped walking as we noticed that we were almost walking right at the porch. «My my, I need to get a head of myself!» Ayumi said and laughed. I laughed with her before she unlocked the door and went inside with me.

«I'm home, mom!» she yelled at once we got in and took off our outdoor clothes. Huh…? No answer… «Aren't your parents home?» I asked. She looked just as confused as I was. «Mom should be home by now…», she mumbled and yelled again: «I'm home!» Again, no answer. «Maybe she's just sleeping?» I asked. «Makes sense. Despite leading an entire company, she sure is lazy and she sleeps a lot», she said and went ahead of me upstairs to check Asuka-san's room. «Oi, wait for me!» I yelled after her, but I didn't run. I was kinda tired too, to be honest.

As I started to go up the stairs, I heard Ayumi opening a door. «Mom?» she said the second after she opened it. Everything is fine, then…That's good…

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 _Mom…?!_

 _MOM?!_

 _Mom, can you hear me?!_

 _Hey, wake up!_

 _WAKE UP!_

 _At once I heard Ayumi's voice, screaming in fear, I ran up to Asuka-san's room in a flash. «Ayumi, what's wrong?!» I asked. And then… I witnessed an almost horrifying scene on the bedroom floor in Asuka-san's bedroom._

 _Right beside the bed, next to two empty bottles with whiskey Asuka-san was laying on the floor, dressed in a wrinkly, long and white nightgown in a fetal position, unconcious. Ayumi was on her knees, hysterically crying out for her mother and shaking her body violently, attempting to wake her up. «MOM! COME ON, WAKE UP! WHAT DID YOU DO!? MOM!» she yelled again and again. I clenched my fists together and yelled: «Keep trying to wake her up! I'll call the ambulance!» And so, I hurried in taking out my cell phone and dialing the number with shaking fingers._

 _And from then, I can barely remember what happened…All I remember was the hysterical cries, coming out between Ayumi's lips as the ambulance arrived, carrying the almost lifeless body of her mother into the ambulance while I was holding Ayumi tightly, patting her head and stroking her back. I don't even know how I ended up here…_

 _My memories from that one hour…are completely blurred…_

 ***ONE HOUR LATER AT THE HOSPITAL***

Apparently, I was so focused on playing with my thumbs, that I didn't notice Ayumi's father and sister running in the hallway, looking for the room where Ayumi herself was waiting. Since I wasn't biologically related to Asuka-san in any way, I couldn't join Ayumi and the other two as they were having a serious talk with the doctor. I just had to wait in the hallway, hoping for the best. The minutes passing by were killing me, bit by bit. Seriously, what in the world is taking them so long?! I shook my hair in frustration by simply thinking about what Ayumi must be going through now. And then, before I knew it, the door opened and Ayumi, her sister and her dad walked out in a very sluggish pace. Automatically, I rose up and gently grabbed her by her shoulders after the other two decided to leave the two of us alone for a bit.

«What did they say?» I asked her. She looked at me and said: «It seems that mom got a panic attack while she was home alone…She got a bit too excited and she drank a whole lot of whiskey and passed out because of her anxienty». «I…I see…», I mumbled. She's still anxious, even now… As if I was just a thought that passed through her mind, she passed by me and sat down on the bench in the hallway with her hands folded together. «Um…how is she now?» I asked her. «She's awake…but in a way…she's not aware of her surroundings», she said. Huh…?

«What do you mean…?» I asked. She sighed and explained: «She doesn't know where she is, and she can't really recognize certain voices. She remembered mine, though. Like most people do when they're drunk, they say whatever is on their mind without hesitation». «Is that so...», I mumbled. I guess the alcohol is still affecting her. She must have a low tolerance…

«Can…Can I talk to her?» I asked Ayumi. Honestly, I don't even know why I wanted to see Asuka-san. Why the hell would I want to see her now? After everything she's done and everything she's said… Am I really doing this just because I want to show Ayumi some support…? No, I…ugh…I just feel like I have to talk to her. «Go ahead…I'm sure she won't recognize you, though…», she answered. «That's fine», I said. Honestly, it's better if she doesn't. I rose up from the bench after gently kissing the top of her head and opened the door to Asuka-san's room.

The same second as I went inside, I could clearly hear mumbling coming from the bed where she was laying down. I couldn't really hear what she was saying. I coughed a couple of times and said: «Er…Asuka-san…?» She groaned and mumbled: «Ugh, not that Kotori bitch again… It would be easier to get my work done if you weren't so annoying, y'know…». Kotori-san…Wasn't that the receptionist at Holy Sakura? «No Asuka-san, I'm…», I said, but she interupted me again by saying: «For fuck's sake, I don't need to hear any more bullshit from you, Bitch-chan…That's right, Kotori. As your boss, I'm free to call you whatever I want…ugh…».

She covered her mouth with the covers and had a drowsy look in her eyes. Has she been sleeping lately…? And she seems a lot skinnier than last time I saw her…And gosh, when was the last time she brushed her hair?! I'm no stylist, but I guess I can do something about that. Trying to talk to her doesn't seem to work anyways… After messing around in the shelves, I eventually found a comb I could use.

«Can you please sit up?» I asked her, politely at first. «Pft…You can't tell me what to do, Bitch-chan», she said and wrapped the covers tightly around her. I sighed and pulled her up with force. Surprisingly, she didn't resist. She just got really pouty about it when I started to run the comb through her long, black hair. When I was about halfway through, she started mumbling: «Heh…the way you do that remind me of Ayumi…She's always so gentle with everything…like a little baby…»I didn't say anything. If I did, she would just call me Bitch-chan again and throw more rubbish at my face. After a few more minutes of even more gibberish, I suddenly noticed tears in her eyes as she kept repeating:

«I didn't mean it…I didn't mean it…It was an accident…I didn't want to hurt her…»

That's when I quit staying silent. «What…? What did you do…?» I asked her. She brought up Ayumi…Did she do something to Ayumi in the past? She didn't answer my question, though…She just kept mumbling in a shaky voice: «I was just worried…It's dangerous to walk alone at night…I'm so sorry…!»

She hiccuped and shed a few tears while staring blankly at the ceiling. I desperetaly shook her by the shoulders and almost yelled at her: «What do you mean?!» Wait…No, I can't be doing this in my way. She's mentally ill, and just one mishandling move, and I may cause her a mental breakdown. I stopped shaking her against my own will, and sat back down, patiently waiting for her to finish. She's crying…It must be something painful…Is that why she's so protective over Ayumi, or is it really just because of her being unable to have another child?

«Ah…She still plays the woodpecker song…I remember, at the hospital when she was «sleeping» for so long…I sung it, every time I had the chance. I held her ice-cold hand and kept singing the words, over and over again…You loved that song, didn't you Ayumi…?» she said and didn't even bother to wipe away her tears. Could that be why Ayumi is playing it so often? Even though it's such a sad song? Yes, it makes sense…Her soul was floating around in the hospital room while her body was in a coma, so she must have noticed her mother singing to her… I wonder…Is there anything else about her?

Then…my mind went completely blank at what she said next:

«Maybe if I paid attention to the road…Maybe if I didn't worry so much…Maybe if I wasn't driving so fast…you could have…stayed as you were for a little while longer…»

What…?

No way…

It can't be…!

Asuka-san turned to me, tears streaming down her cheeks and her look still drowsy and whispered: «I've held it in for so long…just to keep you from going further in the darkness… But I can't forget the face you made right before you passed out when I ran out of the car and sat down next to you…And when you woke up…You didn't remember that it was me…!»

She closed her eyes and whimpered out:

«I'm sorry…Ayumi…»

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. I rose up and ran out of the room and slammed the door.

 **PART II**

 **An Angel's Cruel Past**

My mind is completely fucked now…! Does Ayumi even know this!? God, this is so fucked up…! I grasped my hair again and thought a little more about what she just said.

 _«Maybe if I paid attention to the road…Maybe if I wasn't so worried…Maybe if I wasn't driving so fast…»_

That says it all. There's no mistaking it…! Asuka-san was the one who caused Ayumi's am-….No…Oh god, no! I get so angry just thinking the words! But when I think about it…it makes sense. I always thought that Ayumi's amnesia was caused by the man who almost violated her and because of how hard the car hit her. But…it makes more sense now…! Maybe Ayumi didn't fall in the coma right when Asuka-san crashed! She said that she came out of the car and sat next to her…Yes…! Yes, now I understand! When seeing that the person who's been with you and loved you almost your entire life, actually hurt you…That must be traumatizing enough to cause an amnesia! So…That's why Asuka-san is so mentally unstable…! She still feels guilty over Ayumi's memory loss! Now I get it…! I knew there was more to the story! No wonder she's so over protective and why she got so pissed when I talked about Ayumi!

As I was thinking out the theory, I noticed how Ayumi didn't react to the loud sound of me slamming the door at all. I could barely see the expression on her face as she was hovering her face to the floor. «Did mom say something?» she asked in a low voice. I looked at her and said: «N-no…Don't worry about it». I sat down and twiddled my thumbs again. I can't just tell her…can I? If she knew everything, then she would've told me. But gosh, I think it would be too much to handle. I looked beside me, at her face and widened my eyes…She looks…depressed…Really depressed.

I put my hand on her shoulder and asked: «If you need anything, I'll get it». Ayumi didn't say anything. Is it just me, or is she slightly shaking…? «Ayumi?» I said and rubbed her shoulder. As I said her name, she put her hands on her thighs, but she didn't straighten up her back. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but shut it…for a moment. She opened it again and whispered:

«I heard it».

At that moment, I felt like my heart fell down from my chest and landed in the pit of my stomach. Oh no…She heard…She heard! Oh crap, what am I supposed to say…?! Seeing me at a loss for words she whispered again: «I didn't mean to eavesdrop…I was worried that she would do something, so I got close to the door…And then I heard her confess…At that moment, I suddenly remembered everything from the moment I saw her face as she got out of the car…»

«Ayumi…», I mumbled and stroked her hair. Her lips were shaking as she turned her worn out face to me. «Yoshiki…I don't understand…! When I was in the seventh heaven, I thought I had all of my memories…! Why did I forget that it was mom who hit me while she was driving…?!» she whimpered and covered her eyes with her hands, gently sobbing into them. «Ayumi…», I repeated and embraced her. She clutched her hands into my hair while sniffing and hiccuping. I stroked her back and whispered: «It's okay…I'm here for you…» After comforting her for a few minutes, Ayumi said: «Yoshiki…I have something to inform you about. It's about the seventh heaven».

«Huh…?» I mumbled. We hadn't talked about the seventh heaven nor the Andromeda tree for a long time. Almost as if it was just a dream we both were in… Ayumi coughed and asked: «Do you remember Mayu?» Mayu…Mayu Suzumoto. The soul who interupted me and Ayumi right before we kissed…And her father, Kenichi Suzumoto who was one of Asuka-san's co-workers… «Yeah. What about it?» I asked. She took a deep breath and took out her handbag and opened it. After grabbing something from her bag, she took out her hand and showed it to me. My eyes widened at the breathtaking beauty.

It was a crystal, shaped like an almond, shimmering with so many colors, floating inside of it. The lamps in the hallway of the hospital reflected it, so it was shining so wonderfully in Ayumi's tiny, pale hands. The glistening colors gave me a feeling of nostalgia as they reminded me of the sparkling fragments and colors I saw in the seventh heaven.

«It's…beautiful…», I blurted out and kept staring at it. Ayumi wiped away her tears and explained in a low voice:

«Mayu gave this to me, a few weeks before I showed you the seventh heaven. Just like me, she loved the legend about the Greek Princess Andromeda, and her kindness for the souls. She was also an adventurous soul, so she often explored even the smallest corners of the seventh heaven. One day, she came to me with the crystal in her hand and told me the legend about Andromeda and her jewel. Have you heard it?»

I nodded. It went like this: Andromeda always wore this certain necklace that her father gave her. In the middle of the necklace, there was a crystal who had the power to either give a life, or take a life. Andromeda never had a use for it, so she just wore it for the sake of beauty. But one time, Andromeda started talking to a little boy soul in the seventh heaven. The boy was killed along with his caring mother a few years back, and he would do anything to just revive her. He loved her very much, and was deeply saddened as she died as well. As kind as Andromeda was, she went back to earth over the boy's mother's grave and dug up the coffin. And then, she lay the jewel right on the middle of it and let the jewel glow and break into a million pieces and sink into her soul, reviving her. It is said that in the seventh heaven, there is a mountain of those kind of crystals, but only souls trapped inside there can achieve one.

Ayumi continued: «Mayu, who said that she knew all of the stories involving the seventh heaven and that she truly believed that this was a real crystal with the same powers as Andromeda's. At first, I didn't believe her at all, but she said: «If the legend about the seventh heaven is real, then why can't the legend about Andromeda's crystal be real?»

Ayumi slightly laughed as she apparently remembered Mayu's silhuette but it was very half-hearted, considering that the atmosphere was very dark. That didn't exactly lighten up the mood, yet Ayumi kept going:

«I had to admit, she had a point. Butt hen again, what would she do with it? She could neither kill anyone, nor could she revive anyone, since we were literally trapped inside the tree. For some reason…she decided to give it to me».

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. «Almost as if she knew that I someday would be freed from that heavenly prison…», she mumbled. And I thought the truth about the Andromeda tree was shocking…There was more, then. But after everything I've experienced thanks to Ayumi, I'm not having some kind of shock. In a weird way…I believed that the crystal was real. «So…You've kept it ever since then…?» I asked. Ayumi nodded. «There was no way I could just throw it away. But at the same time, I was sure that I wouldn't need it and its power», she explained. «I see…Makes sense», I said. But there was still one thing I didn't understand.

«Ayumi…Why are you telling me this now?» I asked her. She clenched the crystal in her hands and replied with shaky lips: «The doctor…He said that mom has to stay in the hospital for a while…And that she is mentally broken in her state. All that suffering and psycological pain her heart has tried to take…It has been too much for her. And now…». She choked down a whimper and said with the most sane sounding voice she could muster up:

«She will never be the same woman again…»

Gosh, this is just getting too much. «Ayumi…I…». I didn't know what to say to cheer her up. Or rather…I can't cheer her up. No matter what I say, it still won't change the situation. Asuka-san is suffering…So that's why Ayumi told me about the crystal…Oh no… «Don't tell me…», I mumbled. That was too much for Ayumi. She pressed her lips together as well as her eyelids. «I don't want to…! But…she's my mother…! There's no way they can cure her as she is now! If I can just free her from all that…»

«Listen to me!» I yelled at her in frustration and anger. «Y-yoshiki…», she whimpered out. «Ah…sorry…», I mumbled and covered my face with my hand. «I just…She's still sane enough! I know that she's suffering, but she has you and your family! You can light up her life…I'm sure of it!» Ayumi forced a smile and gulped. «Yeah…You're right….But…», she said and looked at the crystal again. «I still think that we should use it for someone», she said. «Really…?» I asked. She nodded. «Remember, it can also revive, no matter how old the body is», she said. I nodded, obviously not forgetting that detail. Reviving someone…After thinking for a few minutes, a suggestion popped into my mind.

«What about Mayu…?» I suggested, afraid of her getting mad at me or something. She rose up her face and her eyes started to sparkle. «Or is that…?» I mumbled. She shook her head and said: «N-no…That's not it…», she said. Reviving Mayu…I don't know her that well, but…After what Suzumoto-san told me about her and what Ayumi said…She seems like a person who absolutely deserves to have a long life…She died from leukemia, right? And the fact that she died the day before she turned 17…It just breaks my heart.

«She definetely deserves to live…And I miss her», Ayumi said. «But, still…Let's not rush. We should think about it calmly», I said. Ayumi nodded and slightly smiled at me. «Is your dad and sister waiting for you in the parking lot?» I asked. Ayumi nodded again and said: «Yeah, I should probably go». I nodded and kissed her cheeks before saying our goodbyes to each other.

 ***4 DAYS LATER***

«Don't worry, I laid the envelope right next to our mail box, so you'll easily notice it», she said through the phone. «Okay then. Just call me back if anything happens!» I said. «Will do! Seeya!» she said and hung up. I sighed and ran to Ayumi's house to get the envelope and deliver it at Holy Sakura. On the way, I called Suzumoto-san and asked him to give me a ride, which he gladly accepted.

Ayumi had to be in the hospital with her mother, but she had to hand in some documents to one of her co-workers, so she asked mei f I could deliver it for her. To show some support, I accepted. After waiting for Suzumoto-san to come to Ayumi's house where I was waiting, I eventually noticed the fancy car pulling over beside me. The familiar driver rolled open the window and waved at me.

«Yoshiki-kun! Long time no see!» he said and smiled. «Yeah, it's been a while!» I said and went inside the car. After putting on my seat belt, he started to drive. These past few days, I've been thinking about the crystal a lot. I was still considering to revive Mayu…But that would be unexplainable. How would her relatives and friends react when she suddenly awoke from the dead?! She could just run away…Suzumoto-san and his wife know the legends…If we can somehow convince them and then change Mayu's appearence, they can claim that they adopted a child…That could work! I'd rather do that instead of using it on Asuka-san…Wait wait…Why am I thinking about this when I barely know Mayu?! Would it be weird…if I asked Suzumoto-san…? I should wait until we get there…

 ***INSIDE THE MAIN BUILDING OF HOLY SAKURA***

Delivering the documents went pretty fast, so Suzumoto-san offered me a cup of coffee in his office. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to ask him some more about his daughter. After some chit-chatting and sips, I decided to get straight to the point: «Hey, Suzumoto-san…If you don't mind…Could you tell me some more about your daughter…?»

He clearly got very surprised at my unexpected question, so he took a moment to just process what I asked. «Mayu…?» he asked. I nodded. «Why?» he asked. «Well…», I mumbled and scratched the back of my neck. «Ever since you first told me about her and her connection with the Andromeda tree, I've gotten curious…» Fuck me, I sound like a creepy pervert. Surprisingly, he seemed to think of my answer as reasonable enough. He put down his cup and asked: «Okay then. What would you like to know?» I almost felt a bit honored at the kindess he showed me. I coughed and said: «Hm…What was she like…?» I asked. He sighed and chuckled a bit as he answered:

«What she was like…She was like an angel. A cheerful, kind and adventurous angel. Always doing something new and uncalled for, every single day from the day she learned to crawl. It was hard to keep up with her…».

«I see…And, she loved the stories about the Andromeda, right?» I asked. He nodded and said: «Mostly because of me and my wife's love for constellations. We teached her a lot, and she seemed to love the stories even more. So much that…»

He stopped and bit his lip as if he didn't want to go further into detail. I knew what he was about to say, though. «It's alright. You don't have to tell me more if it's difficult», I said. He shook his head. «What I meant to say was…When she died, we carved in her name without hesitation», he explained and looked down on his hands. I didn't expect him to say it…He's a strong man, talking about his deceased daughter like this. «Okay…Thank you for sharing», I said and prepared myself to leave, but he stopped me by continuing to talk:

«I remember…Ever since I told her about Andromeda, she always asked me and mer mother to buy her a telescope. «I want to count the stars» she said». Count the stars…! She's so similar to Ayumi. He continued: «We didn't buy her one though…But we considered it the year she got leukemia…». He took a break to drink a little bit of his coffee and continued: «We bought one for her…for her 17th birthday…She got weaker and weaker as each day passed. She was suffering a lot as the energic her stayed in bed and couldn't do anything but to sleep and stare at the ceiling. And then, like I told you…She passed away, the day before her 17th birthday…»

As he said «birthday», I noticed several tears streaming down from his cheeks, and down to his chin. «Suzumoto-san…», I said, sat down next to him and patted him on the shoulder. «She must've been a wonderful girl», I said. He hiccupped and whispered out: «She was the most wonderful girl in the whole world…» He laughed a bit and wiped away his tears. After a few minutes of silence he said: «I'm no good, am I? Sitting here while you have to go and visit Shinozaki-san! Let's go». I nodded and went with him to his car.

 ***25 MINUTES LATER AT THE HOSPITAL***

«Ayumi!» I yelled and waved as I noticed her in the hallway. She noticed me and waved…without smiling. Did something happen…? «Hey…», she said. «I delivered the envelope», I said. «Thanks a lot», she said gratefully, yet half-hearted. Something really did happen, didn't it…? I sighed and asked: «What happened?» She seemed to understand that I noticed something was wrong. She sighed and explained:

«I was just talking with mom…She really acted just like she's been acting before, but she's very shaky and so weak. If you see past her gentle smile and eyes, she's hurting inside. Everything seemed to be fine…until the nurse opened the window in her room».

Ayumi hovered her face to the ground and folded her shaky hands together. «Uh…What happened then?» I asked. Ayumi gulped and said:

«Her room was next to the highway…She could clearly hear the sounds of cars driving so fast. She went completely crazy, and screamed hysterically as she ran around in the room, throwing everything out of the shelves and breaking the windows with her bare fists…They managed to stop her though and fix the windows pretty quickly».

«Gosh…», I mumbled and covered my mouth. I meant what I said that day about Asuka-san hopefully getting better, but it seems that she's just getting worse… I still remembered everything I heard about Mayu, but now…

«Yoshiki…», Ayumi whispered with her head still hovered down. «Yes…?» I asked. «I've been thinking…about what we should do with the crystal», she whimpered. I almost didn't even want to hear She gulped again, choking down the whimpers and pressed her lips together as she raised her face, showing me her red eyes and her cheeks, covered in tear stains. «Now…I know who needs the opportunity the most…»

My heart almost stopped at how earnest she sounded. This is her own mother we're talking about! Yet…she really loves her. That's why she wants to use it on her. I cupped her cheek and asked: «Are you sure…are you sure you're doing the right thing?» She looked at me and gave me a slight smile and nodded. «She's been through too much…Not even a heart can take so much suffering and depression. She is my mother, and I want her to be happy». I nodded understandingly and said: «I'll trust you on this one». I closed my eyes and pulled her in for a strong embrace. She embraced me back and wiped away her tears. «Ayumi…If it's too painful for you, I can…», I said, but she interupted me while whimpering. «I can do it…Just wait here…» I kissed her forehead and whispered: «I love you…» She took out the crystal from her pocket and whispered: «I love you too…», just before she went inside to Asuka-san's room.

I could hear her loud sobs from inside, which she was covering up when she was with me. «Ayumi…don't cry…Mommy will always protect you…Didn't I tell you that…?» I could hear Asuka-san whisper. I covered my face in despair as she said those words. This is becoming way too much for me too… «I'm not…Just close your eyes and go to sleep mom…», Ayumi whimpered. «Heh…silly girl…», Asuka-san whispered and laughed a little.

I could hear the plinging sound of the crystal being put on something…Gosh…I guess it's happening now… «Don't worry, mom…I will free you from your suffering…», Ayumi sobbed out. As I could see something glowing from the small openings in the door, I heard Ayumi sing the familiar, sad tune with her gentle voice:

 _Warusa, bakari no uddopekka (One mischievous little woodpecker, another day pecking your holes)_

 _Kyomon, anake (Ruining the woods, tree wrecker)_

 _Moriboro, darage okotta uddo God kuchibashi wo doku ni kaeta (The angry old forest god, turned your poor beak into a poison knife)_

 _Komatta uddopekka, suu ana ga doku ni, gohan, mo doku ni (Your nesting holes are all tainted, your food with toxins rife)_

 _Tomodachi ni furereba shinubakari (Touch your friends, and they will all die falling at your feet)_

 _Kanashinda uddopekka (Oh, sad little woodpecker)_

 _Doku no namida ga kira kira hikaru (Poisonous tears, shining brightly, as they stream down your cheeks)_

And so…

Asuka Shinozaki left the world of living, and finally got freed from her suffering.

 **PART III**

 **Love Is A Beautiful Pain**

 ***TWO MONTHS LATER***

«Ayumi, wait up!» I yelled after her. «I can't slow down! I'm just too excited to eat Miki-chan's treats!» she laughed and kept running. God, I can barely breathe! How the hell can she run so fast?! With the small amount of energy I had left, I ran after her, unable to catch up. I'm carrying this heavy basket, full of strawberry macaroons, so I have to run slowly! Suddenly, she stopped running and stared at…

…what was left of the Andromeda tree.

I panted heavily and walked next to her and stared at it with her. «I can't believe…that it's gone. I know that they removed it a long time ago, but that just seemed like a nightmare or something», she said in a low voice. «Yeah…Probably because we've mostly been experiencing joy…right?» I asked her. Ayumi looked at me and shook her head. «What about… _that?_ », she asked. At once, I regretted what I said. I smacked my forehead and mumbled: «Fuck…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to..». Ayumi shook her head again and smiled. «It was my choice Yoshiki. I have no regrets», she said determined. I nodded and went ahead of her to the tree stump.'

«C'mon! We've got some macaroons to eat!» I said and laughed. «Yaaaaay!» she yelled and sat down next to me. As always, Miki's sweets were always delicious. After a couple of minutes with eating, Ayumi whispered: «Yoshiki?» «Yeah?» I answered. She cupped my cheeks and whispered:

«Will you please stay by my side…forever?»

I smiled at her and whispered: «Gladly». After saying those words of love, it only seemed natural that we started to near each other's lips. With no hesitation, I let my lips meet hers, promising her that I would hold her precious to me as long as I would live.

I am Ayumi Shinozaki's Starcounter.

And I always will be.

 **THE END...FOR REAL!**

 **A/N: ;_; Dammit…HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS AFTERMATH! What are your final thoughts? PLZ REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK BY REVIEWING! Thank you sooooooooo much for reading this and I'll see you in my next fic! UNTIL THEN ;3**

 **Senpai's Boo is out ;3**


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